Supposed Love
by klcm
Summary: She's been missing for 4 months, now she's back, how will the team cope with her being back... and hurt? How will they be when the kidnapper is closer to home than they first thought... Rating will vary/ Genres of all types!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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She stumbled again, sure that a couple of ribs were broken, possibly her arm, possibly her spirit. She staggered the streets tying to find that safe haven she was adamant was around somewhere near. Everything looked familiar; everything seemed so close to home.

Four long months it had been since she was taken, four months since he had declared his love, four months since she had declared hers, four months since she had broken it off with another, four months since she had felt the darkness take over her.

A trickle of blood ran down her face, catching on her eyelashes, she knew she was bleeding pretty heavy from her head but hadn't seen a mirror in a couple of days so she didn't know what state she would turn up at this haven in. The only thing she could be certain about was that it was not good.

She tripped again, tripped over her feet as her head felt hazy, she tripped and fell this time, coming in to contact with the floor, falling into the shadows made by the minimal street lights on the roads. It was late, shadows were screaming everywhere.

The shadows scared her now, having been kept in one for the most part of four months, she found that when she was alone they no longer carried a mystery of thoughts, a place where you could think about things. Now the shadows screamed, and took a bit of her every time.

She got up on her feet, dusted her clothes off and carried on her walk, every time she noticed someone she took the call of the screaming shadows and hid; there was only one person she wanted to see; only person she knew she could trust in this area.

She turned into a new street, she froze as a police car turned into the other end, she sunk down, hidden from view, she stayed there long after the car was gone, scared to move, immobilised by fear, paralysed by tears as they fled.

She picked herself up and walked to the end of the road, looking both ways she appreciated the loneliness of the streets, she limped across the road and paused gathering her breath the best she could, taking acknowledgement that something was wrong with her internally.

Her wounds would have to wait, she needed that safe haven, she needed that person, the person that would help bring her world back to her, help her get out of this mess, help her to the best of their ability.

Looking around she saw the road signs, noticing one from a past trip she took it, she walked as steady as her legs would take her, then they failed, more tears, more fears, she composed herself she wasn't safe out here, she needed that safety.

Picking herself up yet again she struggled and turned into yet another road, still no one around, thankfully, she took another road and saw it. The feeling of security flooded her aching body, she took it and walked the best she could, it was staggered and slow but she kept going.

Reaching the outside she turned to the gate, grabbed the fence she stabled herself once again, the door in front of her, the one she had been praying to see was the door that would bring her home, the door that would bring her everything she had four months ago.

As she went to knock she panicked, what if her safe haven wasn't here anymore. She batted the fear away. She went to knock again, what if their lives had changed. They had moved on? She reassured herself it was four months; they wouldn't give up that fast.

She finally knocked, a slow weak knock, the knock radiated new pains throughout her arm and chest but it had to be done, she had no perception of time but her safe haven was bound to help. They had stressed and reassured countless times.

She saw a light as it came on, and yet panicked again, she wiped some more blood away, the headache intensifying more, the dizziness increasing, the light-headedness making her sway. Not long now, not long she kept saying, she heard the lock change.

The light that flooded out was dramatically worsened due to the head injury, both women stood completely frozen as though their feet were now well and truly glued to the floor. She grabbed the door frame to stay up right but felt everything becoming too much.

'Penelope?' Fran Morgan grasped.

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_**A/N:**_ Okay so I have many stories but with my revision I wanted some different stories to flitter between... so I started this!

R&R would be great! Let me know what you think.


	2. Balance of life

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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The first thing Penelope did when she heard the voice say her name was cry, she slid down, no longer needing to keep herself going. Her head was pounding now, crying intensified it but the more it intensified the more she cried. It was a losing battle.

'Penelope... where have you been?' Fran said dropping to her knee's in front of Penelope.

'I... I don't know.' She sobbed.

'Right let's get you in and get an ambulance... I am not taking no for an answer we need to get you to a hospital.' Penelope nodded frozen with pains and relief.

'Mama who is it?' Desiree's voice floated out. 'It's 2 in the morning.'

'Baby get an ambulance, it's Penelope.'

Running footsteps could be heard. 'Penelope!' She halted completely when she saw Penelope. 'Let me get dressed, we'll drive her it will be faster.' Minutes later Desiree was back and sending Fran to get changed. 'Penelope, oh my God. What happened?' She asked as she pushed a tea towel to Penelope's head.

'I don't know.' She said in a pained whisper and then the tears fell. 'How is he?' She then coughed and drew in an odd breath, like it was sticky and difficult. She pulled her hand away, more blood; she was used to it now.

Desiree grabbed a tissue and gave it to Penelope to wipe her mouth, while she grabbed another with her free hand and wiped her hand. Panic overload had to go on hold. 'He can wait Pen.'

'Please. I just... need to know.'

'Derek hasn't been coping; he's an emotional wreck, as are the team.' She saw the look on Penelope's face. 'They haven't stopped looking for you; they're still looking for you.' Penelope nodded. 'Right let's get you to the car.' Desiree said as Fran re entered the room. Penelope struggled to stand. 'You think you can make?'

'I walked here didn't I?'

Desiree laughed slightly. 'I guess you did, ever the hard head.' Fran and Desiree did not question why Penelope had ended up in Chicago; they supposed it would have to wait, for now Penelope's health was a necessity.

After arriving at the hospital Fran and Desiree were left to pace, and think as Penelope was taken. 'I need to ring him.'

'You do.'

'Okay... wait... do I ring Derek or Hotch?'

'Maybe Hotch then Derek.' Fran nodded and left the room. She took the phone out of her pocket and dialled a number as she left the main doors.

'Hotchner?' Came the groggy voice.

'I'm sorry it's late Hotch but it's Fran Morgan.'

'Mrs Morgan! Is everything okay?' Hotch said wide awake. 'I mean you and the girls are okay?'

'Yes yes, we are fine. My matter lies with Penelope.'

'Penelope?' Hotch said confused. 'What about her?'

'She turned up on my doorstep about a 1 hour ago.'

'Turned up!' Hotch literally shouted 'Is she okay?' He asked warily.

'No, she near collapsed, she was bleeding pretty bad, and is covered in cuts and bruises. She, also, walked to my house from wherever.'

Okay, I'll get the team together and we'll be there. Thank you for telling me... now Derek?'

'You ring in about 15 minutes, get everyone else alerted and on form, I'll tell him.'

'Okay Mrs Morgan, please keep me updated, I fear Derek won't be able to withstand anything other than she's been found.'

'That's fine, just get here as soon as.'

'On it already.'

Fran looked at the phone, one down one to go, she dialled the all too well known number and hit dial.

'Morgan?'

'Derek baby.'

'Mom! What's wrong?'

'Derek I need you to stay calm, can you promise it please?'

'Mom its gone 3 in the morning, what's wrong? You're worrying me.'

'Derek Penelope's alive.'

'What! How do you know?'

'I know because she turned up on my doorstep over an hour ago, now Hotch is gathering everyone to get here, she needs you baby.'

'Is she okay?'

'I'm not sure. Des is upstairs waiting, just get here to the hospital please.' She almost pleaded.

'Okay I'm coming, please tell her I'm coming for her.'

'She's asked for you already.' She knew Derek had smiled at that point. 'Just get here baby.'

'On it.' The line went dead and she headed back in. Desiree was now seated looked absentmindedly.

'Des... honey what's wrong?'

Desiree jumped up. 'They've just taken her for a CT scan, she's got a fractured wrist, the blood she's been coughing up is due ribs penetrating her lungs, she told them she thinks it happened over a week ago.' Desiree composed herself, feeling overwhelmed. 'They think she's got a bleed on the brain, they can't sedate her yet, but the CT scan will rule out if she needs surgery or not.' It was then with everything said she cried.

'Oh Desiree Morgan stop this or you'll start me off.' Fran said taking her youngest in a hug. 'This is Penelope we are talking about.'

'I know but who would do this to her?'

'I don't know honey... did they say anything?'

'She's severely dehydrated and has been subjected to a large enormity of starvation.' It was then Fran started to well up. 'They didn't say much more, just that after she's had the CT scan done she'll be moved up to the neurosurgical unit's ICU for monitoring and to see if surgery is the option to help her. Including her lungs, at the moment she's breathing on her own.'

Then the waiting game began, Fran collected herself together and made another phone call to Hotch.

'Hotchner.'

'Hotch it's Fran again.'

'Is everything okay?' He said, it hadn't been that long since he had spoken to her last.

'Well Penelope is...' She repeated everything her daughter had just told her and wiped the tear off of her face again.

'Thank you for calling me back, we are all ready to go, I'll let them know.' They said their goodbyes and she headed back in. Desiree had resided in a chair again, looking ready to bolt at any moment.

'A nurse is going to come and get us in a minute.'

'Okay... how you holding up?'

'I'm not ma. I'm just not.' Fran took a seat, and they sat and carried on the waiting game, waiting to see Penelope and to see the team. Fran sat thinking back to when she opened the door, the last person she expected to see was Penelope Garcia, but she had never been so relieved at the woman not being dead. Now though things were different, Penelope's life was in the balance again.


	3. Getting there

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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On the plane there were multiple emotions flowing around. There was the relief that she had been found, the happiness that she was back, the sadness she was hurt, the fear of how bad. Derek had retreated to a quiet place within, was it true that his baby girl was well and truly alive after all? Was she coming back to him? Emily and JJ had taken it upon themselves to get clothes and odds and ends for Penelope, Hotch had taken it to be the strong leader when inside he wanted to jump for joy and break down and Rossi and Reid had been engaging in a hush toned conversation to distract them from their own minds.

Everyone didn't know how to feel when they landed, so silence did its part and told them all that they were all feeling the same. After all life the last 4 months had been mayhem, their lives were not brightened, their days appeared daunting, life was an uphill struggle for some time, everything they had been conditioned to expect and love was just gone in the blink of an eye.

Hotch got out his phone and dialled Fran's number, he let it ring and ring and breathed out when she answered, the team stood close wanting to know everything. When he got off the phone they didn't know what to expect, it had been over 3 hours since they had began this journey, anything could have happened.

'Penelope's just had surgery to fix a punctured lung, although that sounds bad she is breathing on her own.' Everyone breathed out. With good news came bad news. 'She is still in the neurosurgical wing of the hospital because of a bleed on her brain. Derek your mom hasn't left her side, nor has Desiree. She's weak, and in and out of consciousness but let's just get to her okay?' Everyone nodded and walked towards where they would have SUV's waiting, all stuck in silence again.

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Fran had been holding Penelope's hand for God's knows how long, she had been looking over the body of her son's love, admittedly she knew that Derek and Penelope had confessed love for one another just before she went missing. Since bringing her in there was mass chaos, there was the waiting games, the back and forth's, the unanswered questions and the questionable hope.

Penelope now lay in the bed, her blonde curls matted and short, her head wrapped in a bandage, a drainage tube to help with the bleed, Fran had decided if anything she would rather see this than be told she needed surgery, so far it was working. She looked at Penelope's face, bruised, swollen, sunken, pale, cut, as she lay there she was on oxygen and had a tube feeding though her nose helping her get the food and nutrition she had been deprived of. On her neck she saw a hand print, a large man handprint, the gown was not done up properly, her chest was completely bruised, now added to that was EKG pads, and an incision mark. Her arms were different from one another; one had bruises and the bandage for the fracture whereas the other appeared almost untouched. Fran couldn't help but look at Penelope's body; it was so underweight, mass starvation had worked fast. As she sat there in that chair looking over Penelope like the guardian angel she had been called, like the mother she wanted to be to Penelope, her heart broke that someone would dare to do something like this to such a person.

'Fran?' Came Penelope's ever weakening voice.

Fran snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Penelope and smiled. 'You okay dear?'

'Thank you.' She said tiredly and coughed. 'I knew you would be my safe haven.' Fran smiled at her and she saw a smile grace Penelope's lips even for a short period but she knew that Penelope hadn't smiled in the time she had been gone.

'Penelope do you know who did this?' Penelope shook her head slightly and slowly. 'Do you remember where he took you?'

'Only that it was like a basement to a big house.' Fran saw the tears beginning to build. 'What's happening? Do they know?'

'I've spoken to Hotch and Derek, they should be here soon.' Fran saw Penelope smile again. 'They haven't forgotten you; they couldn't... but now just sleep okay.' Penelope's eyes closed and remained that way, Fran stood and left the fragile figure, she went outside the room and took Desiree in an embrace, knowing that in the times that Penelope was in Chicago, or Desiree was in Quantico, the pair did nothing but get along, enough to label them sisters. 'She's been awake.'

'I just can't believe this.' Desiree whispered. 'What did she say?'

'Well she said she didn't know who did it but her eyes told differently, she also said she only remembers a basement to a house.' Fran pulled away and looked at her daughter, wiping a tear. As she went to talk a new voice cut her off.

'Mom?' Fran and Desiree looked and saw the team coming towards them. 'Mom where is she?'

'Penelope is in that room there, only one person at time for tonight.'

'How is she?' Hotch asked uncertain.

'She's doing better, she was just awake, but I told her to sleep.' Fran saw the faces begging to ask. 'I'm going to warn you she looks a lot different and I do not mean in the sense that she is battered and bruised.' Everyone nodded not wanting to know but rather to see.

'Derek go in first.' Hotch said boss like.

'I don't know if I can.' Derek said almost scared. 'What if she doesn't want me there?'

'Der... she wants you there.' Desiree answered back. 'She asked for you back at the house, almost scared to hear what you had done while she's been missing. I think she wants you there.'

'Go on baby, spend as long as you want in there.' Derek received nods off everyone, and they all watched as he walked into the room his mother had just shown him.

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Derek looked at the woman in the bed, trying to digest that that was his Penelope, his baby girl in the bed with all the tubes and wires surrounding her. He took the seat that was by the bed and gathered her hand in his; he kissed it and felt her flinch as though she was scared. When he looked up he saw her looking at him, he smiled and she visibly relaxed.

'Hey baby girl.' He said affectionately as he looked into the brown eyes that he loved.

'You're here.' She mused out with a slight smile.

'I am, whereas would I be when I heard my goddess was found.' He looked at her more, the realisation of past months finally becoming apparent to him. 'I've missed you so much baby girl.'

'I missed you too handsome.' She then looked at him more seriously. 'I didn't want to go but he forced me.'

'Shh, that can wait, for now let's get you better.' He watched her nod and then closed her eyes evident that exhaustion fixed with whatever drugs she was being pumped with were taking its toll. He stood and kissed her cheek gently before vacating the room. He walked out evidently radiating with anger, he ran his hand over his eyes, but the tears didn't go under noticed.

'Morgan?'

'Hang on a minute.' He said, he breathed in and looked at them. 'Sorry.'

'Don't be.' Hotch said knowing that once everyone had seen, everyone's emotions would over boil. 'Do you mind if I go next?' He received nods and headed in, the sight bestowed before him was not the exact sight he wanted but he breathed in and took it. When he resurfaced, the girls went in together, rules or not, they were each other's learning post in this time of need, and Hotch didn't want to separate that because the last thing Penelope needed right now was two distraught friends. Reid went in after and left visibly crying and then Rossi entered. After that they alternated throughout the night, making sure she was never alone.

Hotch had decided that he and the team would get to the bottom of this, whether or not they were allowed to, he would find out who did this.


	4. Concern

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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The doctor came out of the room, leaving the large sliding door open, he approached the people that had made it evidently clear were there for Penelope. He approached and smiled warmly. Although he smiled, everyone could tell there was going to be a whole load of bad news, his smile was a comforting smile, one that tried to make them relax before they got full throttle of everything Penelope was suffering.

'Right I'm not going to bore you with multiple medical jargons, I am going to say this for now but Ms Garcia is extremely critical for the mean time. I am amazed at how well her breathing is considering the multiple punctures that we had to repair earlier this morning. I am also pleased with her alertness to everything. She has a crushed fracture to her wrist, multiple bruising to her entire body. She has burns and lacerations to roughly 45% of her body, all should heal without leaving scarring. We had to repair multiple internal tears that appear to have occurred due to forceful kicking to her abdomen and chest. Her trachea is slightly crushed but that will repair itself, she has an enormous amount of bruising to her throat clearly evident with being strangled on numinous occasions over a drawn out amount of time.' He breathed in deeply. 'She has suffered a massive prolonged bout of starvation and is, therefore, highly dehydrated and is lacking in nutrition and vitamins. She is, therefore, getting these things through a tube in her nose, as her throat cannot tolerate more than liquids for the time being.'

Everyone looked at one another, all the women were crying, all men being strong even though Reid looked ready to bolt and cry. Hotch, Rossi and Morgan looking ready to punch something forcefully. They knew she could only get better here but it was getting there that would be the struggle.

'Now for her head injury, we had to insert a small draining tube into her skull while we were repairing her other injuries, this is taking the excess blood from the hematoma that she has sustained and allowing the brain to heal on its own. So far it seems to be having positive effects and she is not suffering from any form of brain damage. I'd like to keep her up here, and I'm afraid on high alert, until I can guarantee no further complications.'

'Is that everything?' Hotch asked, everyone stunned into complete silence after hearing the running list of what Penelope had suffered in the four months she had been gone.

'Yes, you're welcome to go in but for now she is extremely weak and highly drugged. She needs to be kept calm for the obvious reasons. She is awake; I'm not sure how long for but talk to her by all means.' He smiled and waited for further questions, when they were done he left and Derek and Hotch entered Penelope's room.

She looked at them the best she could, she didn't want them to be here and see her like this, she wanted to be back home in all her glory, her happy self. Yet she knew that that person may never truly be again. Hotch and Derek saw the look and vowed to never let her sink into herself and no longer grace them with her humour and personality that kept them sane and happy every day.

'Hey baby girl.' Derek said composed as best he could do as he sat one side and Hotch sat the other.

'Hey.' She said trying to suppress a tear as her voice came out long, dry, raspy and pain filled again. He touched her hand and felt her flinch slightly. 'Sorry.' She said as a tear escaped her eye. The only human touch she had had for 4 months was one that wanted to hurt her. She did however grab Derek's hand and give it a weakened squeeze, at that moment Derek knew why she apologised, initial touches for now were what scared her.

'Don't be... you have no reason to apologise.'

'Penelope I know it's still a little raw but what can you remember?'

'A basement... a big house... I can't remember where...'

'That's okay.'

'I just remember seeing Chicago and thinking there was one place I could go.' She felt Derek catch a tear as she closed her eyes.

'I'm glad you took it baby girl.'

'Pen, how did you get out?'

'He left the door open, I took my chance.' She coughed slightly, still getting the sticky sound from excess blood.

'Okay well you get some more rest, we'll all be here.' Hotch left Derek in the room and went to the group that was gathered. 'She knew to go to you.' He said to Fran.

'She called it a safe haven.'

'Garcia... Penelope Garcia.' A man's voice said from behind them. 'My sister, Penelope Garcia was brought in earlier.'

Everyone looked confused, Penelope had said her brother's didn't really care much for her but here was one in an evident mess. 'Can I help you?' Hotch said stepping out and departing the large group.

'If you know where my sister is, then yes.'

'Penelope's in the room here. I'm Aaron Hotchner, her friend and boss.'

'I'm Antonio Garcia.' Said the forty year old man. 'Is she okay?'

'As can be.' Hotch turned into the room. 'Derek come out, Pen your brothers here.' Hotch didn't miss the terror that rose, and took a decision to question it later. Something suspicious was happening.

Antonio went in and up to the bed. Penelope looked at him confused. He smiled politely at her, giving the impression of the worried big brother.

'It's okay... I'm here now.' He soothed out in a smooth confident tone of voice.

Penelope's face flushed of even more colour, something that should have not be conceivable for how pale she already was. 'But... but how?' Penelope said rasped out, frozen more so than she already was.

'I made a few phone calls.' He sat on the bed and leaned over her weakened body, his face almost touching hers. 'You dare tell... and I will never let you into the light of day again.'


	5. She had it coming

Disclaimer: I do own Criminal Minds

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Penelope's eyes changed. 'Get off me!' Penelope shouted which surprised her brother more than the others who were outside, looking in, pulling the oxygen mask from her face in a panic. 'Get off me!'

'Penny what's wrong?' Antonio asked worried.

'Get out!' Penelope near screamed again, she tried to get up in full terror. 'Get away from me!'

'Pen what's wrong?' Derek said rushing to her side. Followed by Hotch, both men tried to get her to calm down. They all witnessed the sheer terrified look in Penelope's eyes, along with the anger. 'Pen you need to calm down.'

'No!' She sobbed as she thrashed against their restraint.

'Penelope you need to calm, this isn't any good.'

'Penny don't!' Antonio warned more than offered concerned for her welfare. 'Just don't.'

'Him!' Was all she said, Derek and Hotch getting the idea of what she meant. Her head was now swimming from the amount of movement and emotion she had just shot out in a short period.

'You bastard!' Derek went for him, Antonio moved towards the door to find it blocked by Rossi and Reid. Derek grabbed him by the back of his clothes. Reid and Rossi stepped out; all the women stepped in and stood around the bed. Fran closest, taking on the mother role that Penelope needed so much as she was having problems calming herself down.

All the men took Antonio outside of the room as the doctor came in to restore some sense of order. Derek was absolutely pulsating anger and fury. Hotch and Rossi not far behind and Reid was a mix, wondering how on earth someone could do that to their sister of all people. He knew his words would confuse, he needed to let Derek and Hotch do their job. He also knew there would be nothing left to sort through when it was over.

The first punch sent him flying, the second immobilised him a bit more, the impact of a fully grown man on top of him took the wind out of him. He never thought a man would look after Penelope like this. No one ever did, so pain and shock currently occupied his body, limb for limb.

'Why?' Derek spat out. 'Why did you take her?'

'Because I could!'

'Why?' Derek repeated, not getting the answer he wanted.

'Because no one loves her! She disowned our family, I was getting pay back!'

'No one loves her? I love her!' Derek used his fists again, the 4 months of missing Penelope finally coming out. 'You had no right doing what you did!'

'I had every right!' Antonio spat out with words of venom. 'She had it coming the day she walked out!'

'No she didn't!' Derek ignored the pulls from the bosses and carried on. Tears of fury, of worry, of anger, of sadness, of love running down his face now as he showed no remorse for his actions. 'What were you planning to do with her?'

'Let her die!'

At that point Derek halted by the realisation that Penelope would have been subjected to beatings until one day her life just ended. He spat at Antonio and allowed the bosses to pull him off at last. Rossi picking Antonio up by his collar and slamming him into the wall while Hotch calmed down. All the time Reid looking uncomfortable and Desiree watching from the doorway of Penelope's room.

'You realise you took on the wrong family the day you took her from us?' Antonio began to laugh. 'What's so funny?'

'Family? Is that what you are?'

'Yes.' Rossi spat out proudly.

'That's hilarious. Penny Garcia having a family.'

'No it's not... the damage you caused that day you took her will make you pay forever, no one likes a woman beater...'

'Antonio Garcia... you are under arrest for the kidnap, assault and attempted murder of Penelope Garcia, a federal agent.' Hotch said as the police came up the corridor, all four men showing of their badges to who they were, Antonio looking smug as he was handcuffed. 'Morgan you need to calm down before you go back in that room.'

'I know.' He said as he paced, hands on his head, breathing loudly as he processed everything. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw his little sister.

'I think she needs you... like right now.' Desiree said, knowing how much love Derek had for Penelope. She watched him walk into the room with a smile on his face.

Emily and JJ stepped back and left the room, now only Fran, the doctor and Derek were left with Penelope.

'Hey baby girl, his gone, he can't hurt you.' She sobbed harder. 'Hey hey hey, calm down baby. I've got you now; I won't let him get you.' Derek soothed, Penelope slowly calmed down, the idea of sedating her becoming yet another distant idea. Derek sat on the bed and took her his arms the best he could.

'I'll come back in a moment.' The doctor said, and left the room.

The doctor left and Derek pulled Penelope aware slightly. 'We have you back now baby girl... okay?' She nodded. 'His not going to get you again I promise you that much.' Fran smiled. 'Are you going to lie back down?' She nodded slightly but didn't loosen her grip or expand the proximity of their bodies.

'I've got a really bad headache.' She whispered to him.

'What else hurts princess?'

'My entire body.' She whispered again, then she closed the gap more, her breath tickling his eye. 'I'm so sorry.'

'For?'

'Leaving you.'

'P, you had no choice, I don't blame you.'

'I did finish it with Kevin though.' She said with a smile. 'I was coming back to you.' He almost heard the tear as it fell down her cheek.

'Right Ms Garcia, let's get you sorted out.' The doctor said as he re entered the room. 'I need you to stay like that while I check your breathing... 'Penelope stayed leaning in Derek's embrace, she breathed in and out when asked and Derek heard her breath hitched when it got too painful. 'Okay I'd like to keep you on oxygen still as your left lung is struggling still a bit but there is no escaping air to worry about.' He then asked Derek to step back while he checked Penelope's head over. 'Well you were extremely lucky, it appears no disruption here... I expect you have a head though?' Penelope nodded as she relaxed into the pillows again. 'Okay... I'll get you some more pain meds for that and I think you need to sleep.' He wrote out the chart update and then left, a nurse came back in and gave Penelope the dose of medication, she smiled at Derek and left.

'Seems you pulled handsome.' Penelope said with a meek voice.

Derek smiled, not having heard handsome for nearly 4 months. 'I only have eyes for one girl and she's my baby girl.'


	6. Expectant

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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Later that day Fran sent everyone bar Hotch, Derek and herself back to hers with Desiree. Penelope needed support but not an overwhelming amount; she chose the boss for the pure reason was he needed to be there, to see that their tech hadn't ran from them, that she was in fact alive. Derek needed to be there, he had only got Penelope back she knew the idea of leaving would make him think she would be gone when he got back. Fran stuck around because at that moment, Penelope needed a mother like figure, whether Penelope was a fully grown woman or not made not difference. She was after all Penelope's safe haven.

They all sat around in Penelope's room while she slept an uneventful sleep, although they all guessed it would only be a matter of time before the nightmares came and haunted her. The nightmares that would make her relive the 4 months, make her feel each and every beating, make her smell the room she was in, make her see it, see him, make her taste the stale air that came with basements mixed with the taste of her own blood. For now though they were happy with the peace that Penelope was experiencing.

They all sat in their own world of thought, her brother, her brother did this, was all that kept swimming through every vessel of their brain. That had to be the ultimate betrayal, they thought to how Penelope must have felt waking up and coming face to face with her captor, only to realise the eyes staring back are the same shape as her own, the same shade, the eyes of a family member.

Derek kept replaying Penelope's words, 'I was coming back to you', he wiped an occasional tear, that proved her love for him, she had questioned her relationship with Kevin one too many times and that night when Derek decided enough was enough he couldn't bat away his feelings, Penelope needed to be told once and for all her worth in his life. So he did it and she disappeared.

Hotch continued to stare at the face of Penelope as she slept. He knew something terrible had happened, he just felt it, his intuition went into over drive, but never did he imagine this. This was a monstrous severance, with the pure intent of giving her what she deserved. His eyes traced the bruise on her neck, her brother had done that? Her brother, he felt his fists clench at the very thought.

Fran found her eyes darting from Penelope's face, to her neck, to her chest, to any part of her body. The trauma she had been forced to endure at the hands of a supposed love made it a very hard thing to get her head around it. Penelope had laid in a basement for 4 months, receiving beating after beating, being starved to severe extents, all because she walked out on her family.

All of them looked from one to other, the actions of Antonio Garcia earlier proved just why Penelope had walked out on her family, neither of them blamed her, all of them vowed to help her.

'I think we need to find the location of Antonio's house.' Hotch said. 'I understand Morgan if you don't want to come but I need to know just how far she truly walked, I need to go there.'

'I'm coming.' Derek said with a definite tone of voice. 'I need to go there too.' Hotch just nodded his response, got his phone and left the room.

'Baby how you holding up?' Fran asked concern, the effects of this on Desiree were immense, Fran could only imagine what Derek was keeping in.

'I don't know... I guess I'm ecstatic, overwhelmed, loving the fact she's kind of home but hating to see her like this.' He looked at his mom. 'I'm scared.' He finally admitted.

'I thought so... but what's scaring you?'

He looked at Penelope. 'The day after I told her I loved her, I thought she had ran... then at work she didn't turn up and I thought that verified it, then we asked Lynch where she was and he said he hadn't seen her since that night, since she finished with him. When we got to her place, Esther was there, the door was open her purse was there, she wasn't. We went into her apartment and she was gone. That scared me, and then your phone call scared me, the words Penelope's Alive, scared me, I didn't know if I was hearing something I didn't want to and now this, everything.'

'Derek she's back.' Fran said, knowing that wasn't truly everything.

'I'm scared of losing her.' Finally Derek said with so much unambiguous tones that anyone would have a hard time disbelieving it.

'You're not going to lose her.'

'It's happened so many times... I'm scared that if I blink she'll be gone.'

'I think if Penelope has a choice she will stick around... she's in love with her best friend too remember.'

Derek smiled at those words. He sat up right then stood. 'I need to get a drink, what do you want?'

'Just get me a water please.' Fran said knowing full well that Derek was on the verge of a mini episode of emotions. He needed air to breakdown and air to recover. 'Don't be too long.'

'Do you seriously think I would?' He said with a smile, as he was walking out Hotch was coming back in, Derek asked him what he wanted to drink and then he left, Hotch took his seat back.

'Everything okay?'

'Yeah, we have an address, we going to head off when Rossi and Reid get here.' Hotch answered a little apprehensive. 'Everything okay in here?

'Yeah, having a mother son chat about Penelope here.'

'Is he okay? I mean he hardly spoke on the plane here, and the way he went for Penelope's brother...'

'... his afraid that's all.' Hotch nodded, knowing exactly what Derek was afraid of.

When Derek got back he found Rossi and Reid sitting in the room now, he passed the drink to his mom and looked at them. 'You got the address?'

'Yeah, we were waiting for you.'

'Let's go then.' Derek said finishing off his drink and through the cup in the bin, he kissed his mom and took a look at Penelope before following the other 3 men out of the room.

Fran had transposed her worries into reading a book, and so far it was working. She had been reading when she heard an intake of air. She looked up and smiled.

'Hey.' She said as she put the book in her and lap and leant forward. 'How are you feeling now?'

'My headaches still here but I have only a throbbing pain through the rest of me.' Penelope said tiredly, she looked at Fran. 'Where is everyone?'

'Don't panic... I sent them home to get some rest, so they can be on top form.'

'What about you?'

'Penelope Garcia I am not leaving this seat to leave you alone... I am perfectly fine here, so here I will stay.'

'Thank you.'

'No problems... I'd do it all again.' Fran then gained the mother eyes. 'Penelope why didn't you tell us it was your brother?'

Penelope reached up and pulled the mask down. 'I was scared too.' She closed her eyes. 'I was scared of what he would do... but... but everyone getting here, I felt that no one could hurt me if you're all here so I went against him.'

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It had taken the men just under 45 minutes to get to the place. They had gone passed Derek's mom's place to time how long it would have taken in the car for the general route.

'32 minutes is long in a car.'

'So what we saying... normal person walking it would be say 48 maybe 50 minutes?'

'Possibly...'

'So Pen walking it would be slightly more than 64 minutes give or take?'

'Well from what your mom and sister said about how she stumbled a couple of times I would say its fairly likely.'

They all exited the SUV and stood looking at the house, it was of big sizing and there was several ways into the basement from the outside. They looked around the outside, with the help of some local police and then they made their way inside. They looked around the house finding family photo's mainly of 4 men, and some where the girl was evidently Penelope. Derek picked up one and looked at it but put it down when an image of her in the hospital bed flashed in front of his eyes.

He looked at Hotch and nodded, they made their way to a door and opened it to find steps leading down. They turned on their flash lights and headed down the steps. Reid's flash light caught a smear of blood on the wall and they knew things could only get worse from here.


	7. Helping

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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The men carried on down the steps, Hotch's feet hit the ground first, followed by Rossi's, then Derek's and lastly Reid's. They all looked at one another before deciding that the main light would be appropriate. Reid found it and waited for Hotch to nod his affirmative to switch it on. When the overhead light beamed on the sight that lay before them was enough to make even the strongest stomached people of the world want to throw up.

'Oh shit.'

'Fuck.'

'God.'

Hotch remained silent as the other men spoke in an age related order. There in front of them was an room so empty there were echoes everywhere, the only furniture being a well made bed, the mattress worn and thin, the frame did not match up to the mattress in the slightest. On top was a flattened pillow and a thin sheet, all blood stained. On every surface were little droplets of blood, blood sprays on the walls, blood sprays on the floor.

'I think we've just found out where Penelope got some of the head injuries.' Rossi said as he approached an area on the wall where there was a circular blood pattern consistent with Penelope's height. Underneath was the evident trail where her lifeless body slid to the ground.

Hotch walked to the bed, the pillow was bloodstained which linked in with the cuts to Penelope' face and neck areas. He stared at the bed, all the time they had been searching for her; her brother had been subjecting her to beatings, to revenge tactics.

'I think he kept her restrained.' Hotch said as he caught a glimmer of light on metal, when his gloved hand moved it on the bed railing he found handcuffs with blood on. Evidently done too tight for her wrists.

Reid circulated the room, he found more blood, he found vomit coherent with the initial effects of starvation. He looked at Derek who was still completely frozen to his spot at the bottom of the stairs. Then all of a sudden he clicked into life and started to search, he halted in the corner and knelt down. Curious Reid approached, noticing Derek's body shake slightly as he composed himself from his discovery.

'Morgan?' Reid said gently. 'Everything okay?'

'Not really...'Derek stood up. 'I think we just found out he started to cut her hair.' Was all he said as he pointed to a pile of blonde hair, straight and curly, that was piled in the corner of the room.

'Come on let's go back. The local police can come in a process this.' All three other men nodded and followed Hotch up the stairs, all with the image of the room in their heads. Realisation with that room was that Penelope truly needed them to step up game and be the men that wanted her protected and safe, not to be viewed as a victim.

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When they arrived back at the hospital they walked through the doors of the neurosurgical unit to find JJ, Emily, Desiree and now Sarah all standing outside Penelope's room, arms folded, eyes not quite knowing where to look.

'What's happened?'

'Well two things, the movement from early is now showing and they wanted to give her more feed to increase her strength.'

'So what's happening?'

'Well she's got a nose bleed, still got her headache and she started to be sick as they increase the feed.'

'Her stomach's not used to so much food consumption so it did the one thing it needed as a defence mechanism.' JJ finished off after Desiree spoke.

'I take it moms in there?' He asked his sister's who simply nodded.

'She refused to leave unless it was to leave Pen with you or Hotch.' She responded with a slight smile on her face.

After 20 minutes, almost an hour for the girls, the doctor left the room and approached. 'You can go back in there now.'

'Is everything okay?' Hotch asked again, feeling that was his over used phrase for the last couple of days.

'Ms Garcia had a nose bleed due to the harsh movements of earlier, we are keeping an eye on her because she has persistent headache, and we had to change the feeding tube to the other side of her nose, if this is still increasingly uncomfortable for her then we will think about inserting it via her stomach. For now she is still extremely weak and in and out of consciousness but when she is awake she is alert to her surroundings and people.' He watched them all take it in, he knew now they realised that this was going to be a long process. He then excused himself for rounds and left them to go back in the room.

'What did you find?' Emily said halted the progression towards the room.

'Too much.' Was all Hotch answered as he carried on his walk, allowing Derek to enter the room first.

Penelope lay there with evident tear streaks to her face, hers eyes glassy from their build up. She still had the mask over her face with the feeding tube limply looped out and running into a machine by the bed. Everyone now realised she had a new IV in her chest as well as in the back of her hand. Fran had taken a seat on the side with Penelope's fractured hand and motioned to Derek to take the seat the other side, he complied and gathered Penelope's hand in his, they all saw her smile at his touch as she closed her eyes.

They all took seats letting minimal conversation flow around, most of the time their gaze was glued firmly to Penelope as she slept, the bruising seemed to go from strength to strength in colour rather than fade away. About two hours later Derek just stood up and excused himself.

Hotch left the room moments later to find him and check if he was okay, when he found him Derek was sitting against a wall with tears pouring down his face, the moment he saw the boss he stood up straight and wiped the tears away whilst admitting his fine. Hotch knew otherwise.

'I'm not going to think less of you Morgan.'

'No?'

'No... God I've cried, I cried looking at that room that she had to be subjected to that. I cried because I felt I didn't do enough to protect her, like I didn't look hard enough as my job as boss. But she's back and the past is unchangeable, we shape our future and that's what we should do.'

Derek nodded and breathed in deeply. 'I told her I loved her the night she disappeared.' He looked at his boss, who looked shock, he knew they had admitted it to one another but not on that night. 'She told me she loved me too... so she went to break it off with Lynch because she felt she had questioned and doubted it too many times. She told me after her brother got arrested that she was coming back to me when he got her.'

'Is that what you're having a hard time getting past?'

'I blamed her Hotch. My initial thought was that she had lied and ran.'

'That was initial shock though, when you found out she was taken you did nothing but look and look... I even know for a fact that you stayed at her's often.'

'I wanted her close... I've missed her so much and now she's really hurt.'

'She's in good hands, all she needs now is good positive attitudes around her, that and love and support. She's going to need help; we've all seen that just from the bruising. Derek what she needs from you is your love... the one she going back to.'


	8. I cherish her too much

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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It was just turning four that afternoon and only Derek was left in the hospital room, Fran had gathered everyone together to go home and get some proper food and rest before coming back for a couple of hours. Fran and Hotch both knew Derek and Penelope had a lot to talk about and in order to do that they needed privacy; Hotch had warned Derek he would be the first back but would give him 2 and half hours to talk, if Penelope woke up. Derek now sat with his chair lined up with the bed, him facing Penelope, looking at her, so small and fragile, reminiscent of a china doll, delicate and breakable. He had the happiness of having her hand in his again but the looming feeling that she could be snatched cruelly from his life again. That he wasn't prepared for.

He was staring at the ceiling when he thought the hand in his twitched into a weakening grip that released the moment it started. His head shot up to meet Penelope's open eyes. 'Hey.' He whispered as he leant forward.

'Hey.' She said in a dry raspy whisper. 'Where is everyone?'

'My mom's taken them home to feed.'

Penelope laughed slightly but stopped and closed her eyes against the pain. 'Your mom did what I had prayed she would do.'

'What was that baby girl?'

'Bring me back my life.'

'Well you've got it back.' She nodded slightly, and pulled the mask down.

'You...' She swallowed. 'You kept me going.' She said closing her eyes, and coughed again, the sticky sound still partially there when she breathed in. 'I thought of you every day handsome.' Derek smiled and a tear ran down his cheek, this didn't go unnoticed by Penelope. 'I want home now though.'

'I know you do goddess, and you will have it but for now we need to get you to some level of strength.'

'But I walked to your moms.'

'No you practically hiked baby girl, hiked missions to get to safety.'

'I wanted your mom... I didn't know how long I was walking for.'

'Well however long it took everything out of you.'

'I know... I'm paying for it now.' Derek laughed slightly. 'I missed that.'

'Missed what?'

'You're laugh... I've missed it...I've missed hearing baby girl... I've missed you.'

'I've missed you too baby girl.'

'I really do love you... I was so happy to hear you say it to me...'

'Hey don't worry, I really love you too P. Like madly deeply in love with you love love.' That evoked a smile on Penelope dry lips, Derek leaned across and grabbed the small sponge and wetted it before running it over her lips.

'Thank you.' She said looking at him.

'Nonsense baby girl... I'll do anything for you.' She nodded slightly. 'How's the headache?'

'Still here... but not so bad.'

'Want me to get someone?'

'No just stay here... with me... I don't want to be alone.'

'Okay baby... whatever you want, I'm willing to give. When you get out I am taking vacation to look after you, you are staying at mine as well baby girl, no arguments.'

'No arguments.' She repeated in a louder voice, she looked at him but put the mask back over her face. 'I'm so scared.' She said a little muffled.

'About what sweetness?'

She pulled the mask down. 'About everything, all of this, the wires, the tubes, they're... they're foreign.'

'And temporary.' Derek pointed out, knowing full well that Penelope was getting to the point that she had tubes in places that they should be. 'I know it's all daunting but it's to help.'

'I know... I just can't believe all this is because I walked out.'

'Do not blame yourself.'

'I don't, I would happily do it again but when he would come down the stairs he would talk about when we were younger, how I always went to him with my problems but I betrayed him and just left.' She looked at him. 'That was his reason, betrayal.'

'You betrayed no one P... and you do not need to justify yourself.' She nodded, her reactions getting slower. 'How about you get some more sleep? I'm not leaving you.'

She looked at him and tears fell from her eyes. 'Thank you for coming to me.' She said as her weakened body succumbed to its yearn of sleep and she fell back to a slumber. Derek just looked at her; the new tears just shed now making a careful trail down her bruised cheeks. He vowed to never let her go again, he would make her his life, so that he could protect her as possibly a husband could do. In an instant he made decisions, ones he had been toying with now had the answers.

Derek stared for too long at Penelope, as though if he blinked it wouldn't matter she would be gone, that his grasp on her hand was a figment of his own crazy imagination. But when he did blink, and she was still there he lost the fear each and every minute, she wasn't going to disperse into air and no longer be on the bed, he wasn't going to blink to find that when his eyelids retracted he would be in his apartment, fears running wild of her whereabouts. She was going to be there each and every time he reopened his eyes. So Derek blinked, and then found himself drifting off into a sleep where his thoughts were of his baby girl being safe in his arms.

When he awoke he found Penelope still asleep, he looked to his left and found Hotch, his eyes portrayed such a different story to his face. They screamed empathy, and worry, and sadness, and joy, and happiness, they screamed everything his face solemnly kept hidden.

'Finally you wake up.'

Derek smiled. 'How long you been here?'

'About 20 minutes... everyone should be here at around seven... did you get your chat?'

'Indeed with we did.'

'Everything okay?'

'Well she told me she was scared... of everything, of how she is now with all the tubes and wires, its scaring her and she wants to be home.'

'I bet she does... did she say anything about walking?'

'She knew my mom would bring her world back to her.' Derek said with a smile, Penelope was right but not only had his mom brought Penelope's life back, she had also brought Derek's, and brought a big part of the rest of the teams. 'I keep thinking all the times I was in Chicago, she was so close.'

'We weren't to know.'

'I know we weren't but it just seems ironic, the one place I harbour safe to my heart, is a place she was getting hurt in.'

'She'll go back to your mom's Derek, she will because Fran's given her everything she possibly needs at the moment and that's a mother to look after her like she's a daughter, and she's got you.'

Derek nodded. 'I want to use my vacation up Hotch.'

'No... sorry Morgan.' Last name, Hotch meant business. 'I'll put you on a leave of absence but you don't know when you'll need you vacation so keep it, I know Penelope's going to need a lot of looking after when she eventually gets out so I'm more than happy to help with that.'

'Thanks Hotch.'

'No thanks necessary.' Hotch said allowing a smile to curl the end of his lips. 'We need her back to full health and I know you can be the one to help her the best.'

'I saw you speaking to the doctor earlier...'

'I asked if he could predict when she is likely to be released, and he said unlikely for over a month due to the extent of starvation and her other injuries... but he has allowed to move her to Quantico, but we have to wait until she has the strength to lift things on her own.'

'Over a month? That's not going to bode well with Pen.' Hotch shook his head. 'What about her eating?'

'She'll have to keep the tube in for a majority as they need to let her throat heal with fluids which I'm guessing is what the sponge and water is for besides keeping her lips hydrated.'

'Well it works, we did it earlier.' Derek said, and Hotch shot a look that said thank you for already stepping up his game to look after her. 'Hotch you don't have to worry about whether or not I'm going to look after her, I cherish her way too much to not help.'

'I never doubted it Derek.'


	9. Happier you're back

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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The next morning Penelope was awake, Fran had long since dragged everyone but Hotch and Derek away, feeling they needed mothering just as much as the next person. It was light outside and she felt better, the sun making it appear a better day.

Her hand was still enclosed in Derek's, she took strength off him, not just from his presence, but he never gave her a look of pity but of love and comfort. Same with everyone else, although she knew Reid was struggling, he couldn't look at her without his eyes welling up and for that she wanted to wrap him up in a hug.

She felt him begin to stir and so squeezed his hand; she watched Derek's head shoot up as she kept the grip for a longer time.

'Morning baby girl.' He said with an award winning smile that made her melt every time.

'I'll show you a good morning hot stuff.' She smiled slightly as her voice flowed out stronger.

'Now that is like music to my ear.' He said with an enormous smile on his lips. 'How you feeling?'

'No headache... it's got to be a good sign.' She blinked, still slightly tiredly.

'A very good sign.' He looked at Hotch who was slowly waking up. 'I think someone slept awkwardly.'

'I'd agree with that.' Penelope said as she looked at the boss, she reached up and pulled the mask down just as Hotch's eyes fully adjusted to the light. 'Morning boss man.'

Hotch smiled immediately at the sound of the nickname as it escaped from Penelope's lips. 'Morning Penelope... you look a lot better I must admit.'

'I think she's feeling it too Hotch.' Hotch looked from Derek to Penelope and saw her nod slowly. 'You're grips stronger too P.' She smiled again. 'You just can't take it slow can you?' He joked.

'You know me.' She said and then coughed, both men worrying.

'Should we get someone?'

'No... don't... I have a sore throat.' She said looking at them. 'It's to be expected, what with the lungs and this stupid thing.' She said pointing to the tube in her nose.

'Positive?'

'Positive.' She replied honestly. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Antonio.'

'Penelope it's okay... but why didn't you?'

'I was scared of what he would do.' She closed her eyes as she remembered what he could do. 'But you all got here and I didn't want to be scared.'

'You did the right thing... Derek near enough beat him to death.' Penelope looked at Derek and smiled. 'Plus Rossi got some words in there.'

'Seems you all had a good go.'

'I'm pretty sure if let them, the girls would have finished him.' Hotch added, knowing both other women of the B.A.U. were furious at the perpetrator of all this. Penelope smiled a bit more before beginning to get prolonged blinks, evident exhaustion claiming her fragile body again, it was like her body thrived temporarily but then the energy dispersed again and she wilted.

'It looks like you're ready for some more sleep Penelope.' Hotch said standing. 'I'm going to ring guys see when they are coming back... but sleep yeah?' Penelope nodded and he left the room.

'Go on baby girl... want anything for the pain?'

'No.'

'Pen?'

'It's all good handsome.'

'Okay, but just get some more sleep.' He kept her hand in his as she succumbed to the tiredness; he just sat and watched her as she slept.

----------------------------------------------------------

'So they're going to take the feeding tube out?' Emily asked Hotch as they stood outside the room with everyone else that was made to stay at Fran's

'Well from her nose, so she'll have more movement, by putting it in her stomach they can detach her from the machine so she's in less discomfort.' Hotch said, he and Derek had been with the doctor when he felt it would be easy to take the tube out and replace it. 'Yeah it will be uncomfortable for the first couple of days but it would mean that Penelope doesn't run the risk of nose bleeds and the such.'

'Okay, so it's going to make her better?'

'In some sense yes.'

They watched the door open and Derek walk to them. 'They're going to take her down now, they said it should take 30 minutes and then she'll be back up.'

'Did he say anything about her head injury?'

'Well there is less and less blood, so they're going to arrange a MRI and CT scan later to rule out if the bleeds gone and if the swelling is still causing pressure but the fact her headache's going and her grip is stronger it's all looking positive.' He said with a smile, they then all watched as the bed was rolled out and down the corridor. 'It's a routine procedure, so we only have to think of the benefits for Pen.'

'Well I for one think Derek and Hotch should go and get something to eat.... who agrees?' Fran said once Penelope was out of sight, everyone agreed. 'You've got 30 minutes, so go.' She gave the look Derek knew not to mess with, so he smiled and left with Hotch.

'How are we going to get them to leave to get rest?' Sarah asked.

'We leave them to it... we don't push them.' Fran said looking at her. 'They're both battling demons and they need Penelope close so we'll give them that until such time as they look like its getting one bit too much.'

They all took seats and waited, soon after Derek and Hotch were back, which didn't surprise any of them in the slightest. The 30 minutes came and passed and they all started to worry. Emily and Fran went to ask returning with relaxed expressions.

'They've just done the MRI and CT scan; and now they're bringing her back up.'

'Did they say anything else?'

'That it's all fine.'

The sight that greeted them this time round was immensely different, no tube or oxygen mask, all Penelope had was the minimal tube propped under her nose to deliver oxygen. They all waited for the doctor to approached before even attempting to enter.

'Well it was successful. She may be sleepy for a couple of hours as we had to sedate her, when she is awake I liked her to try and drink as much water as she can so that her throat gets used to swallowing again. The MRI and CT showed significant changes, another 24 hours and I'd like to remove the drain and then I think we can move her to a normal room.' He smiled and then left, and everyone entered the room, Derek led the small colony and entered with a smile. Penelope practically beamed back.

'Now that is a smile we've missed.' Was the first thing he said.

'Yeah it really is.' There was a round of agreements and more smiles. 'Do we get to see it more?' Emily asked hopeful.

'If you want to see it sweetie you can see it.'

'Good.'

'Yeah, I think we've all missed it.' JJ said, her eyes welling up as she thought back to the past 4 months.

'Aw kitten don't cry.' Penelope said with a dry voice, she felt herself welling up at the sight, she the felt Derek take her hand and entwine their fingers together, it was a feeling both had missed immensely.

'I'm sorry... but you're back! They're happy tears!' JJ said laughing slightly. 'Promise!' Emily put her arm around JJ and pulled her close.

'We're all happier for you being back.' She said with a smile.


	10. A little Reminiscing

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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The day came and went and Penelope progressed slowly, to the others though she seemed to thrive and they were never happily to see it happen like it did. As much as they wanted to stay, the call of duty had to drag them away.

'Morgan, I've got you an unlimited leave of absent, Strauss understands the pressure you've under taken the last 4 months and so has accepted it unwillingly. She also saw that our team went down the moment we found out Penelope was missing so she is allowing us to work week on week off, as long as cases do not over take us.' He then looked at Penelope. 'But we will be back to see you.' She nodded tiredly, the new dose of drugs doing their job perfectly. 'Right come on then troops let's get going.' They all hugged Fran, Desiree and Sarah and then made their way to Penelope. Hotch waited until last and kissed her cheek gently. 'It's good to have you back.' He whispered in her ear. 'You don't realise how important you are to us.' He then stood up straight, smiled at them and left the room.

'One minor detail you haven't told me.' Penelope said still with a quiet voice.

'What's that?'

'What's happening about Antonio?'

'Penelope, you don't have to worry about it.'

'But I do... I just want to know.'

Fran looked to Derek who sighed. 'P his being done with kidnap, assault and attempted murder.' Derek relaxed when he didn't see tears build, Penelope just took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Hotch is going to the police department before they leave... he wants in on the interrogation.' She nodded, and they all knew she didn't want any of them to hear what she had gone through. Derek lightly massaged her arm. 'Hotch has it all under control baby girl.'

'I know but I just don't want any of you to hear what happened.'

'We get that P, we really do but I think Hotch needs to do this... he's been beating himself up about not finding you.' She looked at him. 'We all have.'

'I tried so many times to get out.' She whispered.

'Penelope, how did you really get out?'

'He didn't do the handcuffs tight enough, I managed to pretend I asleep and I slipped my hand out, he must have forgotten about the baseball bat he threw earlier that day, I got it and made some noise, he came down and I hit him around the back of the head.' She closed her eyes again. 'And then I just left... he must have thought I wasn't going anywhere because the front door was unlocked.'

'I'm going to ring Hotch and tell him to check Antonio's head out.' Derek said standing, he kissed Penelope's forehead gently and left the room. In the time he had gotten hold of Hotch and got back, he found Sarah and Desiree gone, his mom reading again and Penelope asleep. 'She finally gave in then.'

'Yeah... we kind of forced her to as well; otherwise she would have kept herself going.' Fran said looking up from the book. 'Get hold of Hotch?'

'Yeah... he said if it left a mark, it's another piece of evidence to add in to help convict him.' Derek answered as he sat down. 'I don't think Hotch is in the mood to do listen to a liar.'

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Hotch, having gotten off the phone, walked back into the interrogation room, shut the door and stood and stared at Antonio as he sat smugly in the chair.

'Does you head hurt?' Was all Hotch sat with his arms folded across his chest, the tone of voice told Antonio he was not in the mood for messing around.

'No... why would it?'

'Well a baseball bat to the head using results in a headache, and seeing as you've been here for a day with no pain relief at all you must have a killer headache.'

'No.' He lied through his teeth.

Hotch motioned with his head and the officer in the room tipped Antonio's head forward, there on the back of his head was red line, a bump and a bruise that was all noticeable within the hair parting. The officer nodded that he had found something and stepped back.

'Why did you take her?'

'Who?'

'Do not start the dumb act, Penelope Garcia, your sister, why did you take her?'

'She is not my sister, she is not blood, and the respect I had for her disappeared the moment she walked out of the door.'

'So you took her because she left?'

'Yes.'

'So it was all about revenge?'

'I guess so.'

'What was your plan for her?'

'I thought I could have fun with her and then just let her injuries take over.'

'Until?'

'The betraying bitch died!' Antonio knew that he wasn't going to get out, they knew too much, so if he lied it would only make it worse for himself to lie to an Agent.

'So you took her to your house here in Chicago, when she lives in Quantico, drugged her, bound and gagged her I'm guessing, and then locked her in a basement?' Antonio remained silent. 'How often did you feed her?'

'2 maybe 3 times every 2 weeks.'

'How big were the meals?'

'The size of my hand maybe.'

'What about water?'

'1 cup daily sometimes.'

'Was you plain for her to starve to death or was it to beat her to death?'

'Both.'

'What beatings did you give her?'

'Kicks to her stomach, punches... just the normal type of beatings.'

'So how did she get hold of the baseball bat?'

'I used it, you must've seen she has broken ribs.' Antonio said with a smile, he was going to start enjoying repeating what he had done. 'I got her up, tied her hands above her head and had some fun, to be honest I cannot believe how much force she got in that bat considering I managed to break what 5 possible 6, hell it could have 7 with the amount of snapping I heard.'

'It was 8 in total, 7 on her right, 1 on her left... did you have fun doing it?'

'Of course, I was doing what I was brought to do.'

'By?'

'My father, the man that adopted Penelope so she had a proper stepdad.'

'What did he teach?'

'Betrayal doesn't go unpunished... she knew that rule all too well.'

'How do you mean?'

'She got beatings as a kid if she disobeyed or lied about her whereabouts, petty things like that.'

'So its a family rule is it?'

'Except she was the only one to not want to beat the shit out of us if we lied.'

'Doesn't that tell you something?'

'She's a pathetic human being... that would ultimately walk out on the family.'

Hotch nodded. 'What else did you do to her?'

'Oh the best was grabbing her throat, the terror in her eyes as she realised the air was running out, then the slam into the wall. Then I just let her body slumped to the ground, unconscious or not. Then I would pick her up throw her on the bed and tie her down again.'

'How often did you hit her head into a wall or strangle her?'

'3 times a week on the minimum.' Antonio's eyes looked evil. 'But lately we had more fun increasing it.'

'Yeah I think we realise that.' Hotch answered emotionless, his emotion at the moment was pure anger, one that made him want to beat the crap out of Antonio, but he knew prison wouldn't go lightly on him. 'What about the burns?'

'Oh a little lighter fun.'

'And the other cuts occurred how?'

'Well I liked the idea of throwing her into the walls, on the ground and then one day the idea of a little knife dragging came to me.'

'Right... well I think we're done.' Hotch said anger present now, he knew if he carried on he wouldn't control his actions, and sooner or later Penelope would have to discuss what happened, whether to him, or Derek, or a police officer. 'I hope you know you won't be out any time soon.'

'Tell Penny to come and see me... we can have a nice little reminiscing session about it.'

'I am not letting her anywhere near you.'

'Why not... I'm family!'

'No you're not.' Hotch said now with a fierce fury. 'I gave you a light interrogation; the next bloke won't be so nice.'

'Send my love to Penny won't you.' Was all Hotch heard as he left the room, before he went anywhere he was going to make sure Antonio sweated like a pig in the next interview, then he was going to the hospital, he had one day to get back, he wasn't leaving a certain someone's side until then.


	11. Reliving it for the better

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

----------------------------------------------------

Hotch got into the SUV and put his head to the steering wheel. His anger boiled over the instance he left the building. Before entering the room, or getting the phone call, Hotch had read what they had of the file so far. Mainly photo's, he subjected himself to look. The mass bruising to Penelope was horrific, there were copies of the hospital scans, the CT scans showing the bleed on the her brain, the MRI images of the tears she had internally, each circled by the doctors who had initially attended, there were the scans of Penelope's lungs, X rays of her ribs. He kept telling himself it was all for evidence but he looked at it as his team member laid out and exposed. He then looked at the photo's that the nurses had taken when Penelope was first admitted. Her ribs, protruding out how they shouldn't have been, the cuts that ran down her back, her spine evidently shown as her body had sunken from starvation, there were photos of her legs with the burns and cuts and bruises.

As he looked, the more he realised she was a mass of bruising and that would result in a tender recovery, let alone the ribs that weren't broken being bruised. Plus whatever the doctors had had to repair within. He thought's went back to Penelope in the bed, hooked up to a machine to show her heart beat whenever it went irregular, oxygen on standby, the IV in her hand, the IV in her chest, the feeding tube in her stomach. And then his thoughts would fly into the words of Antonio. 'Betrayal doesn't go unpunished.' With those words he sat up, this was no time to break down, he started the car and headed to the hospital, he would spend the night there and then head back to Quantico in the morning. For now, he wanted to be in one place and nowhere else.

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When he arrived he was shocked to find just Derek in the room with Penelope. He noticed Derek just was completely lost in thought, hand to his lips, other hand in Penelope's, eyes fully diverted to Penelope as she slept.

'Morgan?' No response was given; Hotch then noticed the wet line on his team members face. 'Derek?'

'Uh... oh.' Derek wiped his face. 'Sorry, man, everything okay?' He asked confused.

'Oh yeah, I'm not needed back for another day so I'm going to camp out until the morning and leave.'

'What happened?'

'I'm going to give you one line that seems prominent to Antonio, betrayal doesn't go unpunished.' He saw Derek's eyes. 'Exactly... apparently they were brought up to believe it, ever a lie, resulted in a beating... Penelope was apparently the only one not to follow that.'

'Did she ever get beaten?' Hotch nodded. 'Christ... what else did he say?'

'He said the best part was strangling her, the look in her eyes as she realised the air was running out, then he would slam her into the wall... a little lighter fun as well... just sick... he had no remorse.'

'Well he wouldn't would he? I mean the way he walked in here that day, like Penelope wouldn't turn her back on him.' He noticed Hotch staring. 'What else Hotch?'

'It's just the case file to go with it, they refuse to get a statement of Penelope just yet, but I think maybe one of us getting it would be better.' Derek nodded slightly unsure whether or not Penelope would want that. 'Other than that they have photos upon photos of Penelope's injuries, and copies of the scans and x-rays, the medical reports from the operations and stuff like that.' Hotch then looked at Derek. 'He had a massive cut on his head as well.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day when she lay awake absorbing the conversation, she was in and out of it for awhile, praising the drugs for paralysing the pains, hating them for making her so dosed up and sleepy. She had awoken to just Hotch and Derek, and was thrown into immediate confusion of her boss' presence; when she was sure he was suppose to be back in Quantico. She smiled when he said he wasn't needed back until the morning so he thought he would spend the time wisely with a certain blonde tech of his.

'I bet he told you about my stepfathers rule right?'

'Penelope... we don't need to do this.'

'We do.' She said with a new found strength. 'I need to do this.' She looked at them both. 'I NEED to do this to get rid of it.'

They knew that the 'it' meant images of the past 4 months. Hotch sighed. 'Yes he did. He also said how you never followed it...'

'I refused to hit them because they did what teenagers do best... it wasn't my rule, I wasn't going to reinforce it on any of them.'

'He told me he recited it over the last 4 months, how you needed to be taught.' She nodded and closed her eyes again. 'Penelope we really don't need to do this.'

'We do.' She repeated like earlier. 'You need a statement... I need to give it.'

'But baby girl, when you're better.'

'Handsome as much as I love you, I need to do this to keep my grip on sanity... and right now, you two are the only people I want to do this with.'

Hotch sat forward in his chair, Derek moved closer, took Penelope's hand, kissed it and flashed her a smile. 'Okay, so what happened the night he took you?'

'I had just seen Kevin, I ended it... he was fine, I needed to get something from my place before going to Derek's... When I got out of my car, I had this really bad feeling so I was going to get back into Esther and just go to Derek's but before I could someone grabbed me from behind... he put his hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream. I dropped my purse and keys and felt something get injected into my arm then everything went black.'

Hotch nodded. 'How about when you woke up?'

'I had a headache and all I could smell was dampness. I still had my glasses on which I felt was really odd, then the light came on and Antonio walked down the steps.'

'What did he do?'

'He grabbed my hair and pulled me from the bed, telling me I was a betraying bitch, that I should never have walked out on the family, it was like when I was 18 and he was passing the blame again.' She then breathed in a breath that they were all used to hearing, shaky and still sticky to its sound.

'Did he drug you anymore?' She shook her head. 'What was the first thing he did?'

'He started to just beat me, regularly, like daily and he used to make me watch the news, about me. It was always the same thing but then I don't know like a month ago he decided to step everything up an notch.'

'How do you mean?'

'He started to use the lighter, or a knife, and then he decided the baseball... bat.' Now the tears started to build up.

'Hey baby girl... you're doing great.'

'Yeah Penelope, once you've done this, I can write it, give it and you're done.' Hotch said worrying about the emerging breakdown occurring. 'He told me about when he strangled you... and he also said about what he did with the bat.' Penelope nodded as the tears spilt and Derek reached in and wiped them. 'We have that on tape so you don't need to repeat it okay?'

'Yeah.' She said with a crackling voice.

'And Derek's told me about how you got out, so I'll write it down and when you can, you just sign it and we can put it away.' Penelope just nodded again, not really knowing what to say at that moment in time. 'He's not going to get away lightly Penelope, the detective that wanted to question him after me was literally sieving, plus the officer that checked his head for where you hit him didn't go to lightly either. Prison won't agree with him at all.'

'I guess as much when Derek told me you were going down there... but I can bet he doesn't feel bad does he?' Hotch just shook his head. 'I guessed not... he was never a remorseful one.'


	12. Helping with the nightmares

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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When he opened his eyes he realised it was still dark outside, he hadn't remembered falling asleep, he remembered his mom going home and leaving him and Hotch there in the room with Penelope, she had long since fallen asleep but now something had awoken him. He heard the whimper, and a sharp intake of air like the breath being ripped out of someone's lungs on impact. It then hit him.

'Penelope.' He said as he shot up from his chair. Sure enough, Penelope was midst throes of a nightmare, they had begun. He moved to the bed, cautious to touch her, if she was dreaming about the 4 months the touch would worsen things. So he placed his hands either side of the pillow and soothed with his voice. 'Baby girl... it's Derek... come on goddess wake up for me.' Her thrashing lessened yet she continued to bit down pain and whimper. 'P... open your eyes, it's all a nasty dream, he can't hurt you.' With those words said she opened her eyes and looked at him, in that instance the tears built and fell before either of them could stop them. 'You're okay baby.' He sat on the bed and wiped the tears away. Then he leant forward, him and Penelope had mastered a way in which they could hug without her hurting too much. Broken ribs or not she wanted to hold on to Derek when she needed it, and he was willing to do it without inflicting mass pains to her.

She sobbed for what felt like forever before she calmed down, he gently place her back down, and looked at her, he pushed some free hair back the best he could and wiped her face of the tears. He looked at Hotch who was stirring and then turned back to Penelope, she looked wide awake now. 'You going to get some more sleep?' He saw the scared look to her eyes. 'I know your scared but I'm going to be here and Hotch.'

'It felt so real.'

'Everything okay?' Hotch asked sleepily.

'Nightmare.' Derek said in response. 'I know it felt real but it can't get you baby girl.' He looked into her eyes and gave her the option which she had laid out on the table numerous times for him. 'Want to talk about it or sleep?'

'I don't know.'

'Penelope maybe talking will help you sleep.' Hotch said placing a hand on her fractured on, him and Fran had mastered the art of doing so without hurting her fracture.

She closed her eyes and swallowed before opening them again. 'It was when he had my hands tied about my head.' She swallowed the tears the best she could again. 'Then he used the bat over and over again and I felt the pain from the impact and I couldn't... breathe.' She said as the flood gates released and the tears poured out.

'It's okay baby girl... you don't have to tell us anymore.' He said knowing full well there wasn't a lot more to be told, the sound of the air being ripped from someone's lungs was the sound of Penelope losing air as the base ball came into contact with Penelope's ribs, it was all a replay, half memory, half reality. She nodded and closed her eyes again. 'Just sleep... we aren't going anywhere.'

When the men were both sure she was asleep, they resumed positions, both pulling closer. Hotch's hands still remaining on Penelope's and Derek's entwined again, this time it was to give her the hands to hold when the dreams over took her damaged mind and she felt alone and the only touches she would get in the dreamlike state would be Antonio's.

Both men fell asleep soon after and the next time they awoke it was to daylight as it streamed in through the slits in the blinds. They both blinked at the brightness and as they took their hands to their face they halted, then they realised that their hands had remained on Penelope's and no other nightmares had interrupted her sleep. They looked at one another with the same expression.

'I think we just acted like dream catchers.'

'I'd say that plausible.' Derek smiled as he realised he had managed to help his baby girl skip out on the memories she didn't need to gracing her mind ever again. He had worried about helping her if this were to occur but he had realised he had just helped her the one way that felt the most natural to them both, the simple action of holding hands had pushed dreams, nightmares and the likes well away for the night. He hoped that his touch alone would help nightly. Whatever he was going to do it.

'What time you got to go?'

'Well soon, but I want to go when Penelope's awake.'

'Fair enough.' They resumed silence and soon Penelope began to wake up. 'Morning baby girl.' Derek said with a smile.

'Hey.' She said with a hoarse throat. Derek instinctively grabbed the cup and placed the straw to her lips and they watched her drink with ease. 'Thanks.' She said as she swallowed the cool liquid. She quickly lavished the feel as it rand own her sore throat.

'You okay after last night?' Hotch asked concerned.

'Yeah... it was that one and then nothing.' She blinked tiredly. 'I hate how real they feel.'

'Yeah that's the problem and the worse part about them.' Hotch agreed with a quick agreement from Derek. 'Right, as much as I want to stick around, I can't.' Hotch said solemnly. 'It's either I go or I get my head on a plate with Strauss.'

'Yeah... we wouldn't want that.' Derek quipped back.

'No... you're too valuable.'

'As are you Penelope as are you.' The boss said sincerely. He then bent down and kissed her cheek. 'See you soon Penelope. Keep her safe Derek... I'm trusting you.'

'You know she's in good hands between me, my mom and sisters.'

'I know... we'll be back the moment we can.'

'I'm not going anywhere.' Hotch laughed slightly at Penelope's sarcasm, looked at his work and left the room hesitantly. Penelope's hand looked for Derek's the moment their boss had left the room, she found it and squeezed it as tightly as her weakened hand would allow her, she felt it wasn't very but Derek noticed the significant growth of strength to it.

'You proved to be a knight in shining armour last night handsome.' She mused to him with a carefree smile. 'Thank you.'

'If I could I would go into you dreams and fight them for you but seeing as I can't I'll protect you anyway I know how...'

'Even holding my hand nightly?'

'Even holding your hand nightly.' He confirmed and saw the smile play across her lips, feeling better for evoking a smile on her face once again. Baby steps he told himself.


	13. Good and bad

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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'Morning Penelope.' Fran said with a smile as she entered the room. She knew Penelope was awake as she heard the quiet conversation between her and Derek. 'Morning Derek.'

'Morning.' They both said in unison, except Penelope's carried on into a chesty cough. Derek again drew the straw to her lips and she drank slowly.

'How you feeling today?' Fran said taking the chair Hotch had previously occupied.

'A bit better... I'm pretty fed up of feeling tired.'

'I suppose you are... but it'll all work out good you'll see.' Fran offered her a smile and Penelope just nodded.

They continued to talk, Derek and Penelope told Fran about the nightmare, Derek also commented on how Hotch was truly reluctant to leave. Then the nurse came in and sorted Penelope out for the morning, whilst connecting the feeding tube, it became apparent how much the 4 months had affected Penelope's body, her ribs too evident, the bruising to her abdomen too severe but Derek forced himself to look, he had no idea why but he felt he needed to.

'So plans today?' Penelope asked once the nurse was gone.

'Whatever you want them to be baby girl.'

'How about you going home and getting some proper sleep.' She saw him about to argue back. 'Handsome... you need to rest.' She paused as she coughed again. 'And I know you're mom's not going anywhere.' He sighed. 'Please?'

'Okay baby girl... but I will be back.'

'I know you will.'

'Before you know it.' She nodded and let a small smile cover her lips as she got tired again. 'I'll go when my mom's back, but you just sleep okay?' She nodded and closed her eyes, doing the thing that she was fed up with doing. When she opened her eyes again it was to a room with only her and Fran.

'He went home then?'

'He did... thank you.'

'Thank you?' Penelope repeated slightly confused at being thanked.

'Yes thank you for getting my son to go home and catch up on some proper sleep.'

'Well he needs it as much as anyone... and sleeping... in that chair is not going to work.'

Hours later Derek walked into the hospital, he had gone home, taken a shower, and crawled into bed, sleep found him easily, his baby girl wanted him to take it so he took it. Nearly 4 hours later he awoke and thought it was time to go back. He checked his cell and the main phone and found no messages to alert him to anything so he relaxed and took his time getting to the hospital knowing both his mother and Penelope would be happily with the more time he spent at home. He got into the SUV Hotch had gotten for him while he was in Chicago and drove to the hospital.

He was walking up the corridor when he saw his mom walking back in with the jug of water from Penelope's bedside. He hurried and walked in to find Penelope sitting upright, she looked to the door way and smiled.

'Surprise.' She had with a raspy voice, her eyes looking groggy but happy.

'What... when did this happen?' He stuttered as she was no long lying down with the drainage tube , or with the chest tube to help with her lungs.

'About an hour after you went home baby.' Fran said in response and put the straw to Penelope's lips. 'She only just woken up, so you two have good timing... or sixth sense.' She said with a smile. 'Although I'm going to toy with the idea of lover's intuition.' Both Derek and Penelope laughed.

'Handsome... you really need to stop staring.'

'Sorry... I can't believe it... it's a...'

'Major difference?' Penelope ended for him, she then relaxed into the pillows placed behind her. Derek just nodded, Penelope no longer had the bandage around her head, she had a biggish square plaster nearing the back of her head, he hair evidently separated the best it could be to allow access. He now saw the long cuts to the side of her head as well as the large cut that ran from her left temple into her hair.

'Why didn't you call me?'

'We wanted to surprise you.'

'Well you did it.' He came out with a large smile, he approached the bed and dropped a kiss on Penelope's head. 'You really did.'

'Derek.' His mom said.

'Handsome... although this is good there is the down side.'

'What?' He said worriedly.

Penelope started to cough again. 'That cough.' His mom pointed out. 'It's pneumonia from when Penelope's lung collapsed when she was brought in.'

'How bad?'

'They're going to start her on antibiotics so they should work but they're going make her sleep a lot.'

'But it's easily treatable?'

'Yes handsome it is... its a common complication with punctured and collapsed lungs.' Penelope said when her bout of coughing ending, she saw and heard the worry plaguing Derek's voice and face. 'I'll bounce back but forget about it, drugs sort that, I'm nearly tube free!' She joked and Derek relaxed furthermore and kissed her again. 'I can now sit up.'

'With help.' Fran pointed out. 'She's allowed to sit up with help and not without it.'

'I'll admit, I don't even want to try and get up on my own... I have no strength and the pains in my sides are still bad.'

'It's all normal.' Fran chucked in before Derek could question again. 'Did you sleep?'

'I did over 4 hours.'

'Wow that's impressive, you look better for it handsome.' Penelope said.

'I feel better.' Was all Derek replied as the nurse came in and inserted a hypodermic to Penelope's IV, she pushed the clear liquid in and then checked all of Penelope's vitals. Fran, Derek and Hotch were all used to it by now, it was a usual within the room.

'The antibiotics will make you increasingly tired so you just need to sleep them off. The next three days will be heavy doses so you should feel sleepy within about 5 minutes, but after the three days they will start to decrease.' Was all she said and then left the room.

No more ten minutes later Penelope was asleep, Fran had gone to get drinks and Derek just said and stared again, his thoughts coinciding with where his gaze was fixed. His mind kept running over the fact that his baby girl was indeed back, it had been a week and his mind was still trying to run the fact that she was back.

Fran walked in and he stood. 'I'm going to call Hotch, see if he got back okay and give him an update.'

'Okay... you okay Derek?'

'Yeah... minds still processing everything.'

'Understandable... you may see your sister's, they're coming here after work.'

'Are they?'

'Yeah... Des is still a little overwhelmed, as I'm sure you can understand.' Derek nodded. 'Right go and then you can get back.'

Derek walked out of the hospital and into the spring heat, it hit him that when Penelope did get out, she would be welcomed to heat and summer, he smiled that she could recuperate in the sun, but then thought to how many seasons she had missed, he missed watching the snow melt with the new spring days with her. He snapped into reality and grabbed his phone.

'Hotchner?'

'Hey Hotch, it's Morgan.'

'Everything okay?'

'Well as Pen put it with the good comes the bad side.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well I got back and she's had the draining tube removed and the chest tube.'

'But?'

'Well she's got pneumonia that was brought about from the punctured and collapsed lung.'

'But she will be okay?'

'Yeah... they've started strong antibiotics but she's been sitting up basically on her own and everything.'

'Well that's better than no news...' Hotch said with an evident smile in his voice. 'I'll let the other knows but we're already being pulled into a case, so I'll call when I can.'

'Okay... don't work to hard.'

'You sound like Penelope.'

'I'm doing her part for her.' He joked. 'You know she'd be saying it to you if we were there.'

'I do and its an appreciated piece of normalcy.'


	14. Family Approval

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

----------------------------------------------------

'I actually miss everyone more now than I did.' Penelope said as she sat up in the bed, it had been well over a week since they had seen them and it had been a couple of days since they had heard from them. 'Isn't that sort of crazy?'

'No P, it's not...' Derek said as he sat on the edge of the bed. 'But when they do come, they will see the difference in you.' She nodded, he was right, her face was no longer swollen, the bruising was only severe in places, the cuts not so violently illustrated. The bruising to her arms were going yellow, most of which had long disappeared, but she still had the hand print on her throat. 'Plus you've put on weight which is good.'

'Yeah... baby steps right?' She said with a smile, Derek had reiterated it to her on many occasions and now she decided it was the best route. 'I need a hairdresser though.' She said not down heartened that her hair lacked its bounce. She noticed Derek look down. 'Handsome... what's wrong?'

'It's nothing.'

'It's something.'

He looked at her and saw she already knew what he was indecisive about discussing with her. 'I found your hair on the floor.' She nodded. 'And there for so much and...'

'You felt overwhelmed?' He nodded. 'Well look, he didn't hack too much, I don't think he could... every time he went to do it he made the cuts shorter and shorter.'

'It just seemed a lot.'

'I get that... but it'll grow back.' She replied with a confident smile on her face.

'Well Sarah did hairdressing so she's offered.'

'Ahh... see there's the start.'

'I love you optimism baby girl.'

'I have good rein-forcers for it handsome.' She responded with the same smile on her face. 'Day by day.' He nodded and smiled to match hers. 'See.'

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Later that day, Derek and Penelope had been watching TV when she had fallen asleep and he had spent a while watching the TV, then a bit of time watching Penelope, then reading, then back to the TV but nothing seemed to hold his attention for long. He sighed and looked at the door as his mom walked in with a smile.

'You're early.'

'Hello to you too.' Fran answered.

'Sorry... hello... you're here earlier.'

'Well I have guests.'

'Guests?' She moved out of the way of the door and the team filed in. Derek smiled. 'When did you get here?'

'We just did, we just finished a case and have the week off like planned and got here.'

'They're staying at mine but wanted to see Penelope.'

'Who looks so much better.' Emily said. Everyone smiled and agreed, happier at the view in front of them.

'How about we go and get food, text us when she's awake and we'll come back and surprise her.' Hotch offered. 'We now know where her new room is so it will be easier to find.'

'Yeah go for it.' The team said farewell and left all looking relaxed once again. Derek and Fran sat in almost complete silence for a little while until Penelope began to wake up.

'Aw I missed the end of the programme.' She said tiredly, the last remnants of sleep played with her voice and the focus of her eyes.

'I'm sure there'll be other cheese for you to watch on TV baby girl.'

'There will be.' She said with so much certainty he couldn't help but laugh. 'And I know you'll be watching it with me.'

'Too right... it's quality time together.' She laughed at his enthusiasm for their current TV addictions. 'We need to get a really good DVD collection together baby girl.'

'Old and new?'

'Yep.'

'Well, sounds a plan.' She said as Fran excused herself to go to the toilet, while she stood outside, she got her phone out and texted Hotch, making it stretch out, she then walked into the room and sat back down, she smiled towards Derek to tell him she had done it.

'I get this feeling my couch is going to worn out by the time you two are finished.'

'Well if Pen get's transferred to Quantico then it will be my couch that will get the wearing out.'

'Talking of your place... where's Clooney?'

'Well he's in the kennels...'

'But I made Hotch pick him up and bring him.' Fran dropped in. 'I love that dog too much to be shut away from his family.'

'Aw...' Penelope said. 'I miss Clooney.'

'Well I think he misses you.' Derek said.

'Just like we have.' Hotch said with a smile as he lead the team into the room.

'Aw when did you get here?!'

'About 2 hours ago, you were asleep so we asked either Derek or Fran to text us.'

'So I just did.'

'You look better Pen.'

'I feel it.' She said with a triumphant smile that expressed just about everything it needed to. They all gathered seats and couldn't help but stare at the transformation in Penelope. 'You guys seriously need to stop staring at me.'

'Sorry... it's such a change to how we left.'

'Yeah not just the tubes and stuff but EVERYTHING.' JJ commented, loving the sight that now graced their presence at the moment, okay she had to admit she wanted it to be completely different but reality wouldn't allow that at the moment so she was stuck with this and she was truly grateful.

'Yeah... she's right Penelope.' Emily said with the same happiness that JJ had expressed, soon everyone was in agreement.

'I think I get it guys.' She said laughing slightly

'So has she been a good patient lately?'

'Well why don't you ask the good patient as she is sitting here?' Penelope quipped back quickly and with a sweet smile scrawled across her face.

'Well...?' Hotch prompted.

'I have been.' Was all Penelope replied.

'Yeah she had been.' Derek said as the team looked at him. 'Half the time she has slept, which is no fault of her own but its good for her and she hasn't even contemplated jumping out of bed and plotting a mutiny for escape.'

'Well I suppose that is a good side of drugs... they keep Penelope Garcia well behaved.'

'Hey!'

'You know it's 'cause we care.'

'Well you don't need to worry about me doing a runner, I can't even sit up on my own, I don't even want to try and walk on my own.' She said as her voice broke into a raspy sound and she coughed to clear her throat. Derek grabbed the half filled cup and passed it to her. She didn't realise they were all staring at her as she drank from the cup unaided and without a straw at first. Last time they had witnessed her drink she didn't have the strength to grip the cup. She finished and Derek took the cup oblivious to the shocked expressions behind him. 'What?' Penelope said and Derek looked round and laughed.

'You haven't seen her drink like that.'

'No we haven't.'

'That's a good sight to see!' Emily said happily, another step she thought to herself. 'Any more things your hiding? Like maybe you two... together?'

'Old news.' Derek said making Penelope laugh and agree.

'For you!'

'Well yeah it is...'

'So you are together?'

'In a sense... we're taking it slowly, for Pen that is.'

'Well I like it.' JJ said.

'I second that.' Emily chimed in.

'Third it.' Reid agreed, he knew it was going to happen sooner or later. He had seen the build up to Derek making a few adjustments to his declarations, he had seen it when they had found out Penelope was missing, he had seen it the moment Derek walked towards the plane and he had seen it the moment he was told that Penelope had asked about him. He also knew Penelope was gearing up to tell Derek whether he wanted to hear it or not and now seeing Penelope like this had proven how much Derek loved her, with his actions, his behaviour, his speech and his body language.

'Well I don't need to tell you that I agree, but me and Rossi have discussed it with Strauss and the director and they both see no problem... just none of it in the office.'

'Got it.' Derek said, Penelope nodded her head and then turned to look at Derek.

'Handsome, I take that as family approval at its utmost highest.'


	15. The telling

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

----------------------------------------------------

Derek was about to turn his phone off as he walked the corridor towards Penelope's room when it rang. He saw Hotch's number flash on the screen and burrowed his eyebrows with confusion.

'Yeah Hotch?'

'Come down stairs we need you.'

'Downstairs?'

'Yes... we have a case in Chicago.'

'Can I see Pen first?'

'Yeah... but we need you for this one.'

'Okay... gimme 10 minutes okay?'

'Yeah that's fine.' Hotch said closing the phone. Derek sighed; life without work for over 2 weeks had been bliss, well for the most part anyway. He sighed and walked into Penelope's room and noticed she was dosing. He smiled and was about to leave when he heard intake of air and a yawn.

'Handsome?'

'Morning baby girl.'

'Where you going?' She asked confused and tiredly.

'You were still asleep so I was going to pop and get some things.' He said quietly and approached the bed. 'How you feeling?'

'Like absolute crap.'

'Anything I can help with?'

'No, but if I think of something you'll be the first to know.'

'You in pain baby girl?'

'A little but it's fine.' He raised his eyebrow. 'Really.' She reassured him and closed her eyes in a long blink.

'Right I just got to pop outside but I'll be back okay?' She nodded, and he bent down and kissed her forehead as she fell into another slumber. 'I love you.' He said as he exited the room and made his way out to the front, there in front of an SUV were the team. 'So what's the case?'

'Abductions of mixed raced families... the children not the adults themselves.' They saw Derek cringe a bit; the cases he hated most were child related ones. 'We wouldn't ask but we need another team member for this.'

'I know but Pen's not doing so good today.'

Hotch worried but he needed Derek's expertise. 'Well JJ's going to stay, she's done her part for us, if we need her we have to call her and vice versa.' Derek nodded hesitantly.

'Don't worry... I'll look after her.' JJ said with a smile that reassured him endlessly.

'I know you will.' He said and then watched her walk into the hospital. He then got into the SUV and called his mom to give her the heads up as to why he wasn't in the room when she arrived later that day.

-----------------------------------------------------

JJ watched Penelope asleep and could see the lack of sleep that had occurred in the last 46 hours since they had last seen one another. She had been here just over an hour; already several nurses had come in evidently understanding as to why Penelope wasn't feeling so good.

She took Penelope's hand when she saw her start to open her eyes. She leant forward and smiled. 'Morning.'

'Morning JJ.' Penelope answered obviously JJ's presence next to her hadn't sunk in. 'JJ!' She said sitting up a bit.

'Whoa Pen, stay like that... we have a case in Chicago so Hotch needed to swap me over with Morgan for expertise.' Penelope nodded. 'So how you feeling? Derek said you weren't doing so good today.'

'Hmm, I have definitely had better hours sleep and better hours awake.'

'What's up?'

'Nightmares... and with that come the pains and they take it out of me.' JJ nodded, knowing exactly what Penelope was talking about. Nightmares made it real, you thrash and you twist and you gasp aloud and feel the pains in nightmares. For Penelope that probably meant sucking in deep breaths which would endlessly aggravate her damaged lungs and ribs which would only in return exacerbate the pains she already had.

'Has Derek not been here?'

'I sent him home... he doesn't need to be here 24/7 it's unfair for him.'

'Pen... he almost died the moment we found Esther, your purse and the needle. I think it's unfair for him to not be here at the moment, seeing you is affirming to his mind that you are well and truly alive and back with him.' Penelope just nodded and smiled at her thankfully. 'Now soap opera cheese should be starting any moment so shall we?'

Penelope laughed the worries and problems gone for the moment. 'We shall.'

The pair had been laughing endlessly at the crummy acting and the shoddy storylines to each and every programme that they had watched. Both thinking of what would be great storylines, in turn the conversation had turned into what their lives would be like if it were a soap opera.

'Penelope.' The nurse said at the doors, her and Penelope had become known to one another over the weeks and Penelope liked it to not be called Ms Garcia. 'You have visitors.'

JJ and Penelope exchanged questioning glances. 'Who?'

'Three gentlemen.' She entered the room and helped JJ sit Penelope up slightly more. 'Let me check you over and then I'll let them in.'

She nodded and then spoke. 'Did they give a name?'

'They said they were family.' She then checked Penelope over, the head wounds that were taking a while to heal, the look of the bruises had seemed to frozen, the chest IV still in place as was the one in her hand and finally the feeding tube that was in the process of the important part of Penelope's recovery. 'Right you seem okay... do you have a headache?'

'A little why?'

'You heads bleeding slightly, so I'll let the men in and then I'll come and change the bandage okay?'

'Yes that's fine.'

The nurse left, JJ sat on the bed, taking Penelope hands as the 3 men walked in. 'Penelope.' One of them gasped, not expecting this sight.

'What are you doing here?' Penelope asked immediately in response.

'Well Antonio invited us down this weekend for a brother's fishing trip and we get here to see the place taped off with police swarming everywhere.'

'So what brought you here?'

'The police took our names when we said Garcia they told us to get here... what happened? We thought it was Antonio.'

'Yeah Penny what's happened? Where's Antonio?'

'Antonio's in prison.' Penelope whispered and coughed but never lost their attention, she knew they were eyeing her up and down in an attempt to register what had happened to her and Antonio.

'What?'

'When?'

'How?'

'I really want to know something... did you enjoy your football match? It sure sounded like it.'

'What? How did you know?'

'Don't you want to know first why the place is sealed off?' JJ asked, knowing Penelope was not ready for hundreds of questions to be filed at her.

'Yes...'

'Your brother kidnapped you sister and kept her in his basement for 4 months.'

'Oh shit no!'

'Fucking hell!'

'No!'

'Yes.' JJ said back sternly. 'Something about a family teaching .'

The nurse came in and squeezed past the 3 men. 'When I've changed this do you want something for the pain Penelope?'

'No thanks.'

'Are you sure, Derek said something about you being in pain before he left this morning.'

'Maybe later.'

'Okay well you let me know when okay?'

'Yup.' Penelope answered as the nurse set to work, all the time her hand never leaving JJ's, as though it were the only form of human comfort in reach at that moment in time and in the world.

'I don't believe you.'

'Oh... this is all self inflicted really.' Penelope replied sarcastically, her voice on the verge of cracking.

The brothers remained quiet, they had watched the whole time what was going on, as the nurse finished up. 'When that bleeps push for me and I'll come and sort it out okay?' She placed her hand on Penelope's arm and Penelope smiled at the simple gesture that told her she was there for her.

'We didn't say that... how could it have been Ant when we were round there 5 or 6 times.' Penelope remained quiet, here came the reliving. The silence answered it all. 'I'm going to kill him.'

'You better get to the back of the line then because there are about 9 other people waiting to do that job.' JJ said sarcastically, her thumb now massaging Penelope's hand slightly, an obvious unconscious gesture.


	16. Truth be told

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

----------------------------------------------------

'Why would he do this?'

They watched one of the brother's faces change. 'Family rule.' He looked at Penelope, who nodded as the tears built. 'But we don't blame you... it was your way of coping after mom and dad.'

'Antonio always held that grudge.' The eldest looking one said. 'Penny...' He began as he took a step forward.

'Don't... okay you don't have to be here because of this... I don't need you here through pity or guilt.' She said as she looked down in an attempt to halt all tears. 'I don't need that.'

'No you need support.' One of them said with evident concern. 'What did he do?'

'It doesn't matter.'

'Penny it does.'

'Yeah it really does.'

'No it doesn't!' She said but then felt guilty for her outburst. 'I'm sorry.' She said as the tears fell. 'You don't need to stay.'

'What if we want to?'

'Yeah what if we want to stick about?'

'Yeah and what if we want to know what happened?'

Penelope looked up at them. 'You just don't have to.' She argued back.

'No but we want to.'

'How bad is it?'

'Bad.' Penelope whispered, not knowing if they were genuine or not.

'How bad Penny?'

She looked up at them and knew at that moment they meant business. '8 broken ribs, the rest are bruised, punctured lung, fractured wrist, burns, cuts, head injuries, and bruising.'

'And she's also got pneumonia.' JJ added, she then leant forward. 'Jennifer Jareau, I'm one of 9 people who are in Chicago looking after you sister and am also, about 5th possibly 6th on the list of people after killing your brother.' She said with a sweet JJ smile.

'Joel.' The eldest stepped forward and shook her hand.

'Sam.'

'And I'm Benny, but call me Ben.' He shook her hand last and looked at Penelope. '8 others then?'

'Yeah... 3 live in Chicago.'

'The rest of us are work mates and an unconventional family.'

They nodded. 'How long have you been here Penny?'

'Over 2 weeks.' Then the room reverberated the sound of the beep as it signified the ending of giving Penelope the nutrition she needed. JJ pushed the button for Penelope.

'So let me get this right... he took you, kept you for 4 months and then let you go?'

'No I hit him and got out.'

'Hit him?'

'With a baseball bat.' The nurse then entered the room, Penelope settled back down lavishing the silence. She watched the brother's face as the gown was lifted and the nurse set about sorting the tube out. Her abdomen on show, the bruising still at its worst.

'I was just talking to the doctor Penelope, he wants to get you out of bed tonight or tomorrow... do you think you can do that?'

'I have no idea.'

'Well if you're not up to it, then he can leave it off but the sooner we do it.'

'The better, I know.'

'But you go at your pace... also, he wants you to try and eat something orally, so you start making a list of things you want.' Penelope nodded. 'Right that's that done for a couple of hours, want anything for the pain yet?' Penelope shook her head. 'Okay well you know where I am.'

'I do.'

They waited for the nurse was gone. 'Penny what did he do to you?' They asked, worried for the mass bruising, her skeletal frame, and her feeding tube.

She sighed. 'He starved me.'

'What else?'

'He just beat me.'

Joel stood up straight. 'I'm going to the police station.'

'No don't!'

'Penelope he can't hurt you and we won't let him but want to know what the fucking hell he was thinking.'

'Yeah Penny, let us do this.'

'But...'

'No buts Penny... he did this and invited us around and we couldn't save you... what type of brothers does that make us to not realise.'

Penelope was crying silently now. 'You weren't to know.' JJ closed the gap slightly or support and comfort. 'You didn't know... it's not your responsibility.'

'No but I want it to be... we're suppose to know when things aren't right and he house wasn't but we brushed it off... I want to know how he thought we would be when this came out.'

'It wasn't meant to be... I was supposed to just die in that basement.'

'You were in the basement!' The realisation hit at the words.

'Die!'

'That's why he would let us down there when there was noise.' Penelope cried a little harder. 'He told us it was creaky pipes, we offered to go down and sort it seeing as it's my job.'

'Pen you need to calm down... you know this is not helping.' JJ attempted to comfort her, she looked at the boys. 'He tried to keep her quiet, he came here and told her not to tell.' JJ saw the brother's clench their fists. 'Pen, I'm going to call Fran.'

'No... don't bother her.'

'Pen you are not leaving this to us... its Fran, Derek or Hotch.'

'Why do you need me?' Came the new voice from the door, a little put off at the three new beings but he ignored them as he heard the sharp intakes of breath as Penelope sobbed. 'Baby girl.' He rushed and sat on the bed. 'What's up?' He put a finger under her chin and lifted him head up to look at him. 'Baby girl come here.' He pulled her into his chest, letting her sob and absorb comfort. They all watched as he swayed her and attentively gave her what she needed without even knowing it.

JJ stepped towards the three brothers. 'Derek Morgan... Penelope's best friend and more.' She said with a smile as she said the sentence she had been dying to say since they had confirmed they were together. 'He's the person at the top of that list I was telling you about.'

'Oh right.'

'Baby girl... come on.' He said as she pulled away. She looked at him and smiled slightly. He reached and wiped her tears. 'What happened?'

'My brothers.' She nodded with her head to the three men.

Derek turned and looked at them. 'Derek Morgan.' He put his hand out; they all took it and introduced themselves.

'Derek what are you doing back here?' JJ asked.

'Hotch and the others don't need me but when they clock off tonight, whenever that is they're are coming here.' He looked back at Penelope and pushed some loose strands of hair back. 'You okay sweetheart?'

'Yes thank you.' She said with a meek voice. 'Sorry... I got a little overwhelmed.'

'Penny we are still going to the police station.'

'But...'

'No Penny, we need to. He had better wished he was dead because for him to do this pushes him out of this family.'

'For good.' Sam asserted some more force.

'Yeah Penny... we are so sorry we didn't push him to let us down there.'

'Don't blame yourself... you weren't to know.' Penelope said and coughed a bit more, the persistent cough weakening daily. JJ instinctively passed the cup to Penelope who shakily put the cup to her lips and drank slowly, JJ then took it and refilled it ready.

'Do you mind us coming back tonight?' Penelope shook her head.

'Right well we are going to go and see the scum and we will be back... don't push us away Penny okay?'

'Okay.'

'Promise... or I'll force you do what we did as kids... that hand shake was embarrassing.' Ben said with a smile.

'You got to get me up first to do it.' They all laughed, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left. 'God.'

'What's up?' Derek asked.

'Lots of things.'

'Come on baby girl.' He then looked at JJ.

'I'm not saying it... Pen you need to.'

'Well they turn up, they see the tube, the bruising, everything, I tell them, they want to kill their brother, I might be getting out of bed tonight, and I need to eat proper food.' Derek was smiling like a fool. 'What?'

'Those last two things...' He said his smile growing. 'Are amazing baby girl!' Penelope laughed. 'And you have your brothers back.'

'I know.'

'So what's up?'

'Do they want to be here with worry and concern or is it guilt and pity?'

'I'm going with the first two Pen.' JJ said.

'And from what I saw I'd agree.'


	17. Kick starting something

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

----------------------------------------------------

'Well well well look at you.' Hotch commented from the door way. 'This is definitely a sight we've all be yearning for.'

'Yearning for?' Penelope quipped back with a mocked laughter. 'It's just me out of bed.'

'Just you out of bed.' Hotch offered back with a raised eyebrow. 'Do you realise what this is like to witness?'

'No but I'm sure you're going to tell me.'

'Too right!' He cleared his voice and made her laugh, he then smiled. 'You out of bed shows progress shows that soon you can get out of here.'

'Ah I need to eat on my own first too.'

'Which she will be doing once I've helped her to that chair.'

Penelope swallowed. 'Let's do this hot stuff.'

Derek chuckled. Penelope had been perched on the bed just as Hotch had entered; Penelope had already walked a couple of steps but then rested when she tired. He put his arm around her for support, exactly how the doctor had showed him to do so. 'Come on then.'

'Can you not just carry me?'

'We are not lying to the doctor!' She pouted at him. 'No chance baby girl... you can do this, I know you can, I think my mom knows you can and I'm a hundred percent certain Hotch knows you can.' She nodded. 'So come on.'

'I'm coming!' Fran and Hotch laughed at the pair as they squabbled playfully at one another. Just as Penelope stood up right, her hand tightening in Derek's, her face trying hard to hide the pains from her ribs and all the other area's that were now exacerbated from standing up for the first time in 2 weeks. They felt a presence behind them and saw three men, Penelope and Derek looked up. 'Oh... you came back!'

'Did you doubt it?'

Hotch looked at them, noticing how 2 of them had a distinctive Penelope Garcia look to them, the blonde hair and brown eyes. Penelope saw him about to question with authority. 'Boss man step down.' She said in a rather breathless rasp.

'Penelope...'

'They're my brothers.'

'Right...' He turned to them. 'Aaron Hotchner.' He said friendly, having been told they had come and gone earlier that day.

'My boss and trusted friend.'

'More of the man who knocks the common sense into us.' Derek quipped, making Penelope laugh in his grasp, her head falling onto his chest.

'And Fran Morgan... one of the three living in Chicago... Derek's mom.' Hotch introduced.

'The woman that I can't thank enough.' Penelope smiled; she then looked up at Derek. 'Can we please get to that chair... as much as I love freedom, I want rest more.'

'Come on then baby girl let's get you over there.' The pair hurried as much as they could and then Derek eased Penelope down. 'Better?'

'So much.'

'Now what was this about eating?' Hotch said crossing his arms. Penelope shot him a look. 'I'm sorry I want you back as soon as.'

'As soon as eh?'

'Well... we are relying on tech support.' He said with a mock voice.

'Knew you were using me for my skill.' She teased and then looked at the time. 'When are the others getting here?'

'Erm... Rossi, Reid, JJ and Emily were finishing a report... thanks to Derek we cracked the case.'

'Ah handsome you have your own supreme skill.' She teased making Derek laugh as he perched on the arm of the chair she was sitting in.

'And Des and Sarah are coming here after work.'

'Full house for me then.'

'Always.'

'Hotch, Fran, these are my brothers Joel, Sam and Ben.' They all exchanged happy welcomes. 'So...?'

'I think he realises where he stands in our lives now.'

'All three of you?' They nodded and she looked down, had she just broken her family up?

'Hey Penny... this is not your fault... none of it.'

'No we don't blame you... he's the monster here not you.'

She looked up and nodded and then smiled. 'Well... I love you all but come on do I need an audience to eat?'

'No you're right... Derek stick around.' He nodded and they left. Hotch told the nurse and she came in.

'Penelope this has got to be the best sight of my day.'

'You're not the first.'

She laughed. 'How does it feel?'

'As much as I want to lap it up... it's pretty tiring.'

'I bet... right what do you want to eat?'

'I don't know.'

'Okay well how's the cough?'

'Still there.'

'Okay well let's go for something small, juicy and soft.' She then left and came back in. 'How about this for now?' She asked holding up a banana.

'I think that is probably the most tolerable thing anyone could have thought of.' She took the banana and Derek sat on the bed opposite her. 'Can you open it for me please?' She asked handing the fruit over.

'Of course baby.' He took the fruit and opened it, once done he passed it back to her. He watched her look at it; food like this was definitely foreign to her right now. She breathed in slightly and took a bite; he watched her chew then swallow, and then her repeat the process. 'I'm taking that as a good sign.'

'God I've missed it.' She said after finishing her mouthful.

'Hitting the spot?' The nurse asked as she re-entered the room with a smile, she smiled more when Penelope nodded. 'I bet in a few days we could chuck in a bit of a girl's best friend, some chocolate would go down well right?'

Penelope was about to say, I have a girl's best friend and he is chocolate, but thought better and held her thoughts in. 'I think I would thoroughly enjoy that.'

'Well you've just proven you can walk and eat so I will call the doctor up and we can see if that transfer to Quantico is palpable now.' She then left.

'Aw you are amazing baby girl.' Derek praised, now finally feeling like life was better, that Penelope wouldn't just disappear from his side in a blink of an eye.

'Do you recon they'll let me have an orange?' She asked seemingly ravenous all of a sudden

He laughed. 'Let me go and see... me leaving may spark curiosity.'

'Well give them the satisfaction.' He laughed, gave her a passionate kiss on the lips, and left hurriedly, as said the others soon came to the door. 'Don't hover for Christ sakes.'

'Well you said you didn't want an audience.'

'Well I'm not longer eating.' She smiled.

'So where's Derek gone?'

'To see if I can have more.' She said sheepishly.

'Kick started something has it?' Hotch teased.

'Oh God yes.' She smiled, amazed at how one piece of fruit had kick started something that would ultimately help her get better.


	18. Homeward Bound

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

----------------------------------------------------

'I got to say... I have missed this place.' Penelope said as she peered out of the window.

'Well maybe you have but are you going to rest now... you've been on the go now since this morning.' Hotch asked with his arms crossed over his chest, giving Penelope the boss man face as she turned.

'I really don't want to.'

'Penelope.'

'Fine.' She said as she made her way back to the bed. At the moment it was only her and Hotch at the hospital, as Fran and Derek had rushed to her place to get her some proper clothes that she could sleep in rather than the rough hospital gown she was confined to. Sarah and Desiree had stayed in Chicago, to sort some loose ends out but Sarah had done her bit and sorted Penelope's tresses into something that didn't make Penelope imagine the past every time she looked in the mirror at herself. Emily, JJ, Rossi and Reid were all sent to work to update Strauss on what had happened and to sort some more working hours out as none of them were prepared to leave Penelope out of their sights for too long. As for he brothers, seeing as only one of them had family ties they were more than happy to get to Quantico and help out as much as possible.

Hotch helped Penelope into bed, still wearing Derek's sweats and refusing to remove them as of yet. 'You seriously love wearing those things?' He laughed when she looked down and blush.

'They're a perfect fit, and they're basically like comfort food, they make me feel good...'

'Plus their Morgan's!'

'Hey when did you grow a sense of humour boss man?'

'Since I learnt to take lessons of my tech.'

'You know how to make a head feel big you know that right?'

He laughed heartily as he took a seat. 'So Penelope what do you want to do?'

'Absolutely nothing.'

'Do you want anything to make you comfortable?'

'I'm fine at the moment boss man.'

'This had better not be that infamous poker face.'

'It's not... honestly... I just don't want to be so doped up I'm in and out, I spent most of the first 2 weeks in hospital like that and the pains aren't that bad.'

'But it did help right?'

'Well I think I would've wanted to give up had I not... so I guess it did yeah.'

'And the pains now?'

'Are aggravated from standing and walking but I love the feeling like I can do it... okay I need maximum help and that's a downer but I knew I had to expect the worse when I started to walk to Fran's.'

'You do realise how sorry I am for not finding you right?'

'Boss man you literally have nothing to be sorry for... I know you didn't stop looking and you weren't to know my brother had me seeing as I kept that part of my life well and truly hidden... just don't beat yourself up over it... I'm here aren't I?'

'Well yes but...'

'I don't want to hear it sir... I know I'm hurt, I know I was critical... I know I was a lot of things but just from having you guys back I didn't see the need to curl up and give up.'

'And I want to thank you for that.'

'Families hey?' Penelope said with a smile that told Hotch the whole truth to her words and that was everything. He smiled and nodded.

'Just promise to never do that again.' He joked.

'I promise.' She said knowing full well what he was getting at.

'Well hello there Penelope.' A familiar friendly voice chimed from the door.

'Louisa... what the hell?' Penelope asked rather shocked to see the nurse who has first called her by her first name in Chicago, she had also become a good friend to Penelope and the team in the previous weeks.

'Nice hello Pen.'

'Well... of course... hello!' She smiled. 'But you work in Chicago?'

'But have temporarily be assigned to look after you seeing as I have since day one... before you ask, the doctor thought it would be wise what with the trauma you have been through so you have me.'

'And she also will be helping out at home.' Hotch said.

Penelope whipped her head round and looked at Hotch. 'You knew?'

'You're boss helped.'

'Seriously, you'd do that for me? What about your family?'

'I don't come from Chicago, plus I want some more experience and this is giving me it whilst also allowing me to experience a new hospital.'

'I'm glad I can help.' Penelope joked.

'Well I've kept you couple of days but how about some chocolate?' She said pulling a chocolate bar from the front of her uniform dress. 'You can't say no.'

'Fine!'

'You want some Hotch?'

'That's a stupid questions.' Both women laughed as the chocolate was shared. 'Well Penelope... how does that go down?'

'Well it doesn't go down as well as those bananas or oranges but it certainly goes down nicely.'

'I have some really good news as well.'

'What would that be apart from helping me plot escape?'

'Oh so you admit you're up for it?'

'I am indeed.' Penelope mocked.

'You actually get out of here in 2 days... they just want to spend time tomorrow running some tests, getting some more scans... just to see that everything is okay and then you are home free.'

'Well that's definitely a good thing.' Penelope smiled, feeling her life resetting again and becoming much more stable for her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

**2 days later**

'Come on then baby girl.'

'Wheelchair... really?'

'Really baby really... come on, in you get and then we can get you out and then home.'

'Ahh home... your home... it's a good thing I like your place isn't it handsome?'

'Hey!' He said playfully and bent down, knowing they were still alone. 'I hope it becomes ours before we get a family home.' He smiled as he literally felt the shock fill her up.

'Is that a proposal?'

'It just might well be... but think about it okay goddess?'

'I already have.'

'Oh... and?'

'I love the idea.'

Derek literally beamed as she replied. 'I will do it properly but I'm in for the long haul baby girl... not just a brief thing and gone.'

'I know hot stuff and I trust you not to do that to me.'

'Well it's good to hear... so... how about getting you out of here?'

'I think that was a long wasted question to ask.'

'I think I agree.' He replied as he pushed the wheel chair out of the room and got greeted by the rest of the team, the three Garcia brothers, Fran and Louisa. 'Let's not stop this journey!'

'Homeward bout it is then.' Hotch said with strong agreement from absolutely everyone.


	19. Another step better

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

----------------------------------------------------

'Where do you want to sit?'

'In the fresh air?'

'Really?'

'I refuse to answer your question with a question handsome... so yes really...' Penelope replied as she realised they had been having a conversation full with questions and no real answers. She then looked down and back up at him. 'I've missed it.'

'Well then seeing as it's just us two for an hour while they get things sorted lets go and relax in the sun.'

'What about Clooney?'

'Louisa and mom have taken him out.'

'Haven't they gone shopping?'

'They have but they can still take the man's best friend with them.' She laughed but gasped slightly. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing.' She said looking at him and sighed, she should've known better than to dumb it down in front of him. 'It's my ribs, they're still really painful, just times its worse than others.'

'Do you need anything?'

'No... Louisa's got it all sorted when she gets back.'

'All sorted?'

'She's making me take a shower and then changing my bandages.'

'Okay as long as it's not a shower on your own.'

'Ha! You seriously think I would contemplate that on my own! Plus you seriously think she'd let me, or you for that matter, or you mom.'

He laughed and nodded slightly. 'Knowing you goddess anything's plausible.' He teased as he eased her out of the bed and into his awaiting grasp. Her face twisted slightly in discomfort and he knew getting out of a normal bed was much more difficult than getting out of a hospital bed as they had done on so many occasions in the previous month.

'I can't believe it's been 5 months since I've been able to have the choice to go out in the sun.'

He helped her, teasing one another and then when they made it out onto the decking she pulled back and couldn't help but smile. Right in front of her was 2 loungers intimately as close as possible; one covered with pillows and an awaiting blanket, the other looking comfortable for an unhurt healthy person.

'How did you...I mean... how did you know?'

'P... your favourite seasons are Spring and Summer... you might have missed the change from winter to spring as you love it but you can now lap up summer so that is what you can do... I did tell you I wanted you to recover in the sun and today is the first day of that!'

She laughed lightly and looked at him. 'You know how to look after a girl.'

'I promised to look after you and I will even if it is spoiling you rotten for the next month or so.'

'Month?'

'At the least Garcia.' Hotch's voice floated in the behind her, he saw Penelope was about to look around. 'Don't move Penelope! I'm grabbing a chair and coming down there.'

'Got it boss man.' She said as she accepted immediately and relaxed awaiting the appearance of Hotch. She yawned and turned to look at Derek. 'What?'

'If you're tired again, then maybe you should sleep.'

'I'm fine.'

'Penelope do not argue with the man.' Hotch said as he placed a garden chair down and sat on the other side of Penelope.

'I'm not... I took a couple of pills earlier they're strong and make me tired, just not ultimately sleepy that I could sleep for ages.'

'But could you sleep?'

'No.' She smiled as both men exacted the same identical looks. 'You need to step down both of you.'

'Not after the last 5 months you don't.'

'Yeah Penelope, you are never leaving one of our sights ever.'

'Cases?'

'Oh well... there is Louisa, Fran, Joel, Sam and Ben who will be looking after you.' Hotch reinforced.

'And you aren't getting rid of me for a month.'

'Unless a case is begging him.'

'How about if a case is begging me?' Penelope asked knowing full well the resounding answer; she smiled at them sweetly as they both stared her out intently.

'Don't you even dare Penelope.'

'Yeah don't even attempt it baby girl... you know full well that's a no go area.'

'It was worth a try.'

'Which we knew you would try.' She pulled a face. 'Seriously nothing changed while you were gone.'

'Except things felt a lot darker.'

'Yeah you Penelope Garcia are definitely a saving grace.'

'Doubt it.'

'Well don't.'

Penelope blushed and then smiled after being shown her worth to not just Hotch and Derek but to the team. She now knew that those specific people would never let her out of their sight again and she, also, knew that there were now another 7 people who were likely to make it their job as and when they could. 'Okay I won't.' She finally said.

'Good... so how's the sun?'

'Amazing.'

'I take as you've missed it?'

'Need I answer that?'

'Well I think you just did.'

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Later that day, Louisa was helping Penelope, practically everyone was now at Derek's including the 3 Garcia brothers who were hell bent on helping. They could hear laughing coming from the bedroom and their hearts lightened that Penelope hadn't lost her laugh like they were slightly worried she might do.

'I'm going to get Derek.'

'Why'

'Because... his going to need to know how to do this when I'm not around or busy.'

'Oh... that is a good point.'

'Plus I can coach him to be being the best.' Louisa smiled and left the room, moments later she re-entered followed by Derek.

Everything okay?' He asked as he looked at Penelope who was standing in nothing but her underwear and one of his tops that he knew she loved.

'Yes... it's a training session'

'Excuse me?'

'You want to know how to look after me so Louisa's going to show you handsome.'

He smiled broadly at the inclusion. 'Oh well in that case... show away.' Both women laughed at his eagerness.

'Okay then Derek go and help Penelope stand while I sort the bandages out on her legs.' Derek complied and help Penelope stay upright, much against her bodies groans to collapse. Minutes later Louisa stood up and smiled. 'Most of them have healed amazingly that they don't need any dressings, so let's some bottoms on you and then we can sort the ribs out, and everything and we'll be done.' They all set to work this time and then Louisa lifted the t-shirt up and clipped it so Penelope was still covered enough but Louisa still was able to sort out the parts she needed to. 'Does it hurt still?' She said examining the ribs gently with her hands.

'Yeah... like earlier it literally make me struggle for air.'

'Okay that's normal you just might need to take the pain pills more often to get that strength back as soon as possible and seeing as you've still got a lot of bruising all over, some worse than others your still tender. But at least your ribs are less seen now.'

'It's that chocolate.' Penelope quipped happily.

'And the amount of fruit you've shovelling down.' Derek chucked in making Penelope laugh and look at him with adoration which made him in return feel something that he liked and that was loved sole heartedly by one woman. 'So when can she get the feeding tube out?' He said as he had seen it the moment the shirt was lifted up.

'Well the doctor wants to keep it in for another week, but today I got to try Pen on a full meal and if that works out then she'll get it out.'

'Do I get to choose the meal?'

'Depends.'

'I do fancy some chips.'

'Well that's good that will give you fat that you need.' Louisa said taking the last thing down.

'And probably a heart attack.'

Both Derek and Louisa laughed. 'If you eat too much.' Louisa then looked at Penelope's hand. 'How's the chest and hand from the IV's?'

'Painfully bruised but hey it fits in.'

She laughed and then looked at her intently, the bruises very nearly gone from Penelope's face, the cuts still nicely illustrated but most dying out now. 'Right I say you let me check your head out on that lovely sun lounger your man did for you... that's unless you don't want the others to see?'

'No... they saw it all back at the hospital.'

'Well let's go then.' They walked out and everyone looked. 'Going outside.' Everyone nodded, looked at one another and then followed, Derek already had Penelope sat down and was sitting on the sound lounger as her, they all filed out and took seats. They saw she was wearing three quarter length bottoms and some cuts were still wrapped up whereas others weren't. Louisa then came out and told them the plan but her and Derek were the only ones that knew that Penelope wouldn't need a large plaster on her head now and they all knew how that had annoyed Penelope since she had gotten it. 'Pen I don't think you need a dressing on your head anymore.'

'Really?'

'Really... it's healed enough on its own it just needs air and time.... like the rest of you.'

'Which Penelope... you have shown you are taking already!'


	20. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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_**A Year Later**_

'Come here wife.' Yelled Derek's voice, he had been away on a case with the others for nearly 3 weeks and had missed Penelope too much. He hated the time away from her and that was the longest he had been away from her since her brother had taken her.

'I'm coming!' Penelope said as she followed her husband's train of voice, she smiled to see love hearts made out of rose petals on more than eight table surfaces in the front room. 'Oh what do I owe this offer then?' She asked as her heart beat faster at the sight of her husband n front of her on the sofa.

'Well, my mom is coming tomorrow, so is Louisa and the team so this is my last chance to have you, my wife all to myself.' She face twisted with mischief and his smile was seductive and even killer, his eye winked at her.

She dug around in her thoughts for a millisecond and smiled back with equal emotions. 'You want to fumble with me again?' She teased mockingly.

'Call it what you want but we've been married 4 months now and I can't get enough of you.' It would have been a lie to spout off that Derek and Penelope's marriage ruined what they had, if anything it elevated it to the next level, to the point that they were near enough inseparable, Derek's part of course coming from the past.

'I'll take that as a good sign then hot stuff.' She mocked back and couldn't help but giggle as he put his hands out for her to get closer, she just stood in front of him and ignored the slight pout and puppy dog eyes he was putting on in order to get what he wanted.

'Baby girl... that is a feeling I never want to lose.' He couldn't lie to her, it was the truth and nothing more or less, he loved the feelings he got when he saw her, when her heard her, when he thought about her and even when he heard about her from others. His heart soared to know that she was his wife and no one else's.

'Well you might need to hold off for a bit.' She replied and felt the mood die ever so slightly. She could have kicked herself for saying it like she did but she needed to tell him.

'Why?' Derek shot up a little disappointed at the lack of eagerness his wife had just portrayed, in all voice, expression and body language.

'Your fumbling means I have to gain weight.'

'What?' Derek's face twisted with confusion and then loosened into a wide teeth bearing smile. 'Really?' She nodded and bit her lip. 'Oh goddess that's amazing!' He near enough jumped up with excitement and he smiled more as her smile grew and she sat down finally.

'I know! We have a baby!' She almost shouted having said it for the first time to a person and not her reflection in the mirror as she had done so many times between the doctor's appointment and the time Derek had gotten home.

'Aw you are one woman that makes me happy... wait the only woman... get here!' He said playfully, she obeyed and sat down and he instantly pulled her close in an embrace. He then felt he needed to know everything, everything fine tuned detail so he could keep on top of it all. 'When did you find out?'

She looked up at him. 'This morning... before you got back from the case.'

'How far gone are you?'

She laughed as his mind seem to have caught up and now he had a list of things in his mind waiting to ask but she needed if you calm down and just let things go, to her, all he needed to know was that she was pregnant and that everything had been arranged. For now all he needed to know was what exactly what she knew, the rest he could find out as she did. Kind of like it would become a learning curve for them both to achieve together. 'We don't know exactly, I've got a scan for tomorrow at 9.' She smiled. 'So it works out perfectly with everyone getting here. If you want we can tell them?'

Derek nodded with copious amounts of emotions. 'I love you so much P.' Derek said as he pulled her into his embrace. She was still thin from what happened but she had curves, she no longer had the protruding ribs, or the ridges of her spine. She was no longer cover in varying sized, shaped, coloured bruises, she no long worn the bruise of the hand print on her throat. She had minimal scars over her body, she knew where they were, she knew what they looked like, she knew what they felt like and occasionally when she was alone due to a case she remembered and felt how she had gotten them but she had learned to live with them and love them when Derek had proven they didn't change a thing with how he loved her and wanted her. To Derek, Penelope was Penelope with whatever, all he wanted was her, scars or no scars. He made her feel like the most cherished thing alive all the time and that was the thing that made her feel she had everything.

In the last year she had developed new relationships with her brothers, she had stood trial and testified against her brother to validate the claim of his acts, she had gotten married, she had gone back to work even if it took nearly 3 months for her to get exact mobility and energy back. To everyone around her, she had climbed mountains and fought battles and had came out the other side, a better person, a stronger person who was surrounded by proper love, by pure love, by enduring love not by supposed love.

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The End!

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**_A/N: _**So it finished! Hope it didn't destroy the story entirely but I could go on for ages talking about her recovery but here it is... everything rolled into one or at least I hope so!

Thanks for all that reviewed and those who read... I hope you enjoyed!


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